The assignment is a home for a family of a marriage and three children, located in an area facing northeast corner and a drop of 3m which falls in the west direction – east. The place where the project is located is characterized by the presence of a hill of medium height with abundant vegetation, which constitutes the eastern boundary of the sector.
As background on the site was a house that was not in good condition and not meeting the needs of the new owners, but was an important element that led to this project: a small balcony very sunny, which allowed to rise canopy, above the roofs of other houses and with open views to the immediate landscape.
From the above, the idea of the project is to inhabit the ground by a raised terrace. For this, the first decision is to build a platform on the top half of the site, who assimilates the natural slope of ground and surface increases in height.
The second decision is to activate the space on this new plane by placing a solid volume perpendicular to the slope, which solves the access from the street and concentrates the compounds covered at this level, trying not to interrupt the continuity of interior and exterior spaces.
The third decision is to enjoin what is under the platform through a central space parallel to the slope, around which line the rest of the exhibition on this floor, half against the natural ground and the other out onto the field.
In this way, the tour of the house starts to reach the upper deck level of the platform, facing a volume of concrete in which are more public spaces (living – dining room). Within this volume, the space is defined by continuous windows overlooking the terraces and the landscape in the background. Then descend to the lower level by the middle of an area illuminated by a patio, which leads to the living rooms of the family and distributed to the bedrooms. Finally, within each room gets a view out, but now the natural ground level which is in the private garden of the house.
In material terms the platform is a concrete slab on the basis that its underside is the sky on the first floor and the top has a cover brought to form the terraces on the second floor.
The volume of the upper floor is an envelope of reinforced concrete walls do not reach the ground, so that function as beams that allow uninterrupted windows in all directions and maintain a close relationship with the terraces. Moreover, on the cover of this body takes the height of the walls to accommodate a machine room and place the solar collectors.
By contrast, on the lower half of the enclosures are dug into the ground, illuminated by light wells, while the bedrooms are arranged successively in the eastern facade with windows that go abroad to a gallery on a step higher garden.
Architects: Juan Cristobal Valenzuela Leighton / Eduardo Rivera Barros
Location: 10 733 Monk Street, Lo Barnechea, Santiago de Chile
Floor area: 334m2
Area: 878m2
Project Year: 2007-2008
Year built: 2008-2009
Structural Engineer: Ingevsa Ltd. / Eduardo Valenzuela Sabbagh
Construction: INVECA Ltd. / Jaime de la Cruz Varela
Lighting: Rafael Rivera Arteaga
Photos: ©J. Christopher L. Valenzuela
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