House W / 01Arq

Architects: 01Arq
Location: Huentelauquen, Chile
Architects: C.Winckler, P.Saric, F.Fritz
Project Year: 2007
Project Area: 130 sqm
Photographs: Aryeh Kornfeld, Mauricio Fuertes

Located in Region IV, on the windy coastal town of Huentelauquén, W House develops a program that includes 3 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms, living room and terraces. The commission presented two restrictions, the first to create spaces protected from the wind and the second not exceed a construction budget of 12 UF (US$ 500) per square meter.

The site of 50mt by 100mt is next to a rocky area where the waves break from the sea, to the north is the neighboring site and to the east is the driveway. The southern boundary has a cliff of 25 mt deep which allows on one hand the development of distant views and others access to a small beach.

The house is located parallel to the sea, maximizing the view. Common areas are located to the south taking advantage of views over the existing cliff; these are resolved through a large space that includes kitchen, dining and living room.

By a continuous wall of pine set vertically the house resolved three of its four facades, which allows it to articulate different patios and isolate the interior from the future constructions.

The program of these patios refers to the need to control the prevailing wind, the first developed as an intermediate space for expansion of the living room area and the second is designed to accommodate the tents of the children who can camp in safely. Between the two patios the access and the parking for two cars are located.

The west facade is resolved through a series of double glazed vertical windows that run on different rails so they can be grouped one over another, these allows a complete opening of the living room and a visual connections from the interior patio to the sea.