House N°1 in Curacavi

Curacaví, Chile

Add To Collection

House N°1 in Curacavi

Curacaví, Chile

Firm

Combeau Arquitectura

Type

Residential › Private House

YEAR

2013

SIZE

1000 sqft - 3000 sqft

BUDGET

$100K - 500K

In developing the concept for this residential project, the architect first took a strategic position of the site and set up a landmark that could dominate the hilly and shrubby landscape, which resulted in a 150-foot-squared, square structure that contains the entire program in a single level.

The second step was to create a pass through the square in order to establish a clear method of entering and exiting the house while internally separating the public areas from the private ones. This operation allows the box to break and create a permeable exterior.

The pass operation introduces two additional axis systems to the original square, which guide the internal organization of the program following a centrifugal composition. In this way each room opens to a different space: distant views, sunny terraces, shaded terraces, proximity to native vegetation, outlook to the valley, and so on. This centrifugal pattern also allows the wind to flow freely through the house in summer, so under the protection of the concrete slab, inhabitants can feel relief from the intense heat without the need for air conditioning.

The entire house is made with a single structural system: double masonry walls made of handicraft bricks and a concrete slab for cover. Therefore, the conception of the project through a traditional, economical, and solid construction system strongly provides inertia in terms of gravity (earthquakes), weather, and time.