The house is located in LoCurro, a residential area of Santiago, Chile. The area has some hills and forest, with a great view of the city of Santiago. The design strategy is based on a 7 x 25 meter rectangle, located over an existing parking space.
The ground level of the house is a continuous space than contains the family area, living room, dining room, kitchen and an interior courtyard. The bedrooms are located in the first floor, and there is a rooftop terrace on the top of the house.
The area is located in Vitacura’s commune, in a residential zone of the 80s where it has begun a renovation of the constructions The order consisted of a modern house for a large family
Article source: enrique browne y arquitectos asociados
The Project is the transformation of a 20 year old apartment in a historicist building. Since it´s located in the 6th floor, it has excellent views to a big green area to the west. The remodeling considered a different program from its original, plus a guest room. This and other reasons influenced in the desire of generating bigger and more integrated spaces. The possibilities of intervention were very restrictive because: a) It was a requirement to keep the exterior untouched; b) Almost all the walls were of structural reinforced concrete, and; c) the floor-ceiling height was very low.
The project anticipates the rearrangement of an already existent construction annexed to a small house, in a refuge pavilion with 50 m².
The implanting of the new building follows the limits of this existent construction in the west side, recycling small stone. The opposite side is rebuilt, realigned and, reusing the granite header from the best walls, is created an uncovered yard that serves as entrance and, at the same time, decompresses the proximity with the neighbouring house. This reconstructed element melts itself with the new construction interlinking the granite wall with horizontal slate plates of 3 cm in thickness placed in small stone cubes making a continuous grate that draws the building.
“Boulevard Las Brujas” building is the synthesis of the accumulated experience in Retail buildings by the office during the last 10 years, such as shopping centers Pio XI , Luis Carrera, San Felix, Av Peru and others.
The large covering that wraps the volumes that contain shops, helps to give the building a strong appearance, leaving the billboards captivated by architecture.
The corporative images of todays main market brands are far away from what one would like as an architect (far away from the reality), with which we have to work on our commercial architecture.
This house is set on a 1,060 sqm site in the last flat urban area of eastern Santiago before the Andes begin.
The plot is 15m wide by 67m length with an existing garden with mature 40 year old trees.
The original house, built back in the 70’s, took no particular advantage of the garden. Despite being uninhabited for almost 20 years the backyard was luckily well preserved and felt like a forgotten park.
The project consists of a single family house located in Chicureo, a very hot zone in summer, which is why the starting point of the project was to take over the climate issue.
Because of this, the house was designed in only one level and is based in courtyards to protect it with the shadows of the trees and being close to the soil moisture.
ASSIGNMENT: Showroom design and construction. Its purpose is to welcome Exxacon potential customers. The showroom must be operative throughout the building labors, showing elegance and the corporate identity that characterizes Exxacon. Its structure must
be developed in a modular shape that utilizes only detachable and reusable materials.
MATERIALS: Chosen materials for the construction are directly related with the objective of achieving a completely detachable and reusable showroom for future Exxacon projects. The general structure is built in steel modular pieces, OSB plaques and structural plywood plaques. Windows are built in aluminum panels and simple crystal. The access is built as a brushed pinewood deck. Exterior screen is made of medestuk chain mail.
This house located atan extraordinary urban space is conceived as a “pavilion opened to landscape”. It´s back coincides with the access. It´s hermetic closed curved walls are inspired in the experience of walking by the Richard Serra sculpture of the Bilbao´s Guggenheim with my daughter, Clara.