Company Details
Company NameCROXATTO & OPAZO ARQUITECTOS
AddressLa Aurora 1779, Vitacura
Santiago
Chile
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NameFelipe Croxatto
Job TitleArchitect
EmailEmail hidden; Javascript is required.
Phone(+569) 6843 7772
Role of this organisation in the project being enteredDesign, development and construction
Category
  • Housing - Buildings such as houses, flats and apartments that are used for sheltering people. These could be either part of the private or public sector and could be individual dwellings or multi-dwelling developments. Social rented, affordable rented and intermediate housing provided to specified eligible households whose needs are not met by the market, are included. 
Project Name (written how it should appear)La Loica & La Tagua
Project AddressCamino a Lagunillas s/n, Matanzas
Región de O`Higgins
Chile
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Client NameCROXATTO & OPAZO ARQUITECTOS
Designer/Architect NameCROXATTO & OPAZO ARQUITECTOS
Contractor NameCROXATTO & OPAZO ARQUITECTOS
Project Description

Location: Matanzas, Navidad, Región de O`Higgins, Chile
Surface: 45m2
Year: 12/2018
Cost: u$s 50.000

This Project was born as a holiday home on the coast. The two cabins for two people each are located in Matanzas, Navidad, approximately 2 ½ hours from Santiago. Placed 80 meters above sea level on the Lagunilla hill, the cabins rise in front of the “Lobera”, a large rock mass jutting out of the sea, home to sea lions and other native species.

Matanzas has become a world capital for Windsurfing and Kitesurfing, thanks to its outstanding wind and wave conditions. Both these elements were purposefully incorporated into the development of the project. The design process was conceived as an opportunity for experimentation, looking for a way to both ‘dominate’ the steep slope, and blend-in with the surrounding nature.

“La Loica” & “La Tagua”, both named after bird species native to the region, are placed on the ravine using a wooden pilon structure that supports the main platform, over which the programme is developed. Each structure is resolved in few square meters, 20m2 for “La Loica”, and 25m2 for “La Tagua”.

A large loft connects the interior premises both visually and spatially. The dining room, bathroom and kitchen are laid out on the access level, using furniture that merges with the architecture, to optimize space. Large windows are mounted on the western façades, enhancing the feeling of ‘hovering’ over the ocean, dominating the horizon.

In both cabins the master bedroom is located on the upper level and can be accessed using a vertical ladder. The bedroom is connected with the rest of the space through the double-height living room, a disposition that seeks to frame and direct the view, pointing towards the wooded hills to the south, and the rocky “Lobera” to the north.

The access doors on each cabin can be opened wide into the northern façade terraces, as a way to connect and interact with the exterior, and ultimately extend the interior spaces. This also allows the main structure to act as a shield against the strong winds coming from the south-west, consolidating the terrace viewpoint.

Materials Used

Matanzas is a wood production area, so it is a very easy material to get, at an affordable price. Both buildings are built entirely in wood, using impregnated, chamber-dried pine on the main structures to improve long-term performance. For the interior finish ½”x 3” pine board was used treated with Osmo Coating for sun and dust protection, and the exterior timber cladding was manufactured from reclaimed oak sleepers. This inert material was treated with petroleum oils, which provides stability and resistance against marine corrosion, and gives it a look that blends-in with the landscape.

Sustainability

The fact that we used local and recycled materials make the cabins develop a certain consciousness about the environment. Wood is a very good insulation for low caloric consumption. Also, even with the cabins connected to the power network, all exterior lightning is actually solar powered. Water is Off-grid. Both cabins have water reservoir tanks uphill that are refilled manually by a water truck. Regarding wastewater, there is no local sewer either, so water is treated through a bio-digester tank located under the cabins to reduce the impact of effluents, these tanks clarify the waste water from the houses to such a degree that it can be allowed to seep into the ground

Issues Faced

Finding the oak sleepers was a big challenge. The Idea was to recycle them, so buying them at market price was not an option. We kept looking and making phone calls until we found a guy who actually used the sleepers for building things like furniture and floorings, and for his purpose, he sliced the outer faces and discarded them to get a neat piece of wood. We actually ended buying all those boards as trash by a very low price.

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