Project: Casa Pujol Otaegui
Architects: ERRE Arquitectos
Lead Architect & Constructor: Raimundo Gutiérrez
Structure: Joaquin Valenzuela
Project Manager & Carpenter: Guillermo Chamorro
Location: Matanzas, Chile
Year: 2020
Photographs: Nicolas Saieh
Casa Pujol Otaegui is located at the front line next to the sea of a few lots condominium, in the north zone of Matanzas. The land that is part of this lot, is formed by a slight slope that leads to a 65-meter cliff, ending at the beach.
For the general design of the house, three main factors were considered that were decisive in the decision-making process: to protect an exterior sector from the strong south-westerly wind that prevails in the area, to maintain privacy from the neighbors on the north and south sides, and to take full advantage of the sea view.
Therefore, a U-shaped volume was proposed, which would be placed in such a way that there would be 2 parallel and hermetic volumes on their faces towards the neighboring boundaries, and the third, totally permeable, and parallel to the coastal edge. As a result of this configuration, in the center there would be an outdoor patio protected from the wind, which would have the particularity of being visually connected to the sea through the double-glazed common area.
The space of the common areas would be the central axis of the house, while the rest of the programmatic elements (bedrooms, bathrooms, laundry and roofed parking area), would be distributed in the 2 volumes perpendicular to it. Due to the tightness of its north and south facades, semi-open courtyards were proposed to provide better lighting and ventilation to some rooms. In addition, these patios, would allow to have a view of the sea in some cases.
The main structure of the house is composed of metal framing, to build large spaces without support (especially in the common areas), and the secondary structure is composed of impregnated pine. For the exterior cladding, a vertical grid of 2 “x1” impregnated brushed pine was designed, which functions as a lattice in the roofed parking area.
