Contrast at Paranal Residencia

Detail of a plant at the main garden of the award-winning building of the Paranal Residencia at ESO's Paranal Observatory. The subtropical vegetation together with the swimming pool ensure a higher level of humidity in the building than outside, offering a more comfortable environment to people working at the observatory. In the picture, the bright green of the leaves contrasts with the reddish colour of the concrete wall dyed to be the same colour as the surrounding desert. The green colour offers a refreshing contrast to human eyes, especially in such an arid environment as this area of the Atacama Desert.