An exercise in using a single material to its maximum achieving pleasant uniform aesthetics.

© Felipe Fontecilla

© Felipe Fontecilla

© Felipe Fontecilla

© Felipe Fontecilla

© Felipe Fontecilla

© Felipe Fontecilla

© Felipe Fontecilla

© Felipe Fontecilla

© Josefina López

© Felipe Fontecilla

© Felipe Fontecilla

© Alejandro Soffia

‘Built with SIP panels (Structural Insulated Panels), this house is conceived as an attempt to rationalize this construction material and achieve a maximum optimization of its structural and dimensional qualities. The totality of the house was configured with two kinds of components: wall panels (122 x 244 x 11.4 mm) and split-level panels (122 x 488 x 21 mm). In just 10 days, 71 wall panels and 40 split level panels were built. The loss of material was negligible.
Through the configuration of spatial modules comprised of two wall panels and two split-level panels, inhabitable spaces measuring 6 square meters were built. These spaces are the result of multiplying these volumes along the length of their transversal axis according to standard surfaces of use. The house is comprised of the sum of these different spaces.
The spaces are grouped according to traditional programmatic similarities, and are united by a central circulation system. The principal rooms are clustered toward the north, in the quest for an ocean view. The panels exposed on the exterior are fashioned as terraces on the second and third floors. The eastern façade of the house, close to a neighbor, is more closed-off, and the western façade opens up to the light and the view. The northern and southern faces of the house, as well as the terraces, are enveloped in a wooden skin.’

ARCHITECTS: Alejandro Soffia, Santiago, Chile and Gabriel Rudolphy, Santiago, Chile. CLIENT: Vicente Hidd. LOCATION: Santo Domingo, Valparaíso, Chile. DESCRIPTION: residential. STATUS: completed. AREA: 139 sqm. STRUCTURAL ENGINEER: José Manuel Morales. DATE: 2011. No part of this web site may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without prior permission of Morfae and the copyright owner.