Casa La Quimera
Ignacio Santa María

Casa La Quimera

Ruca proyectos as Architects

The ordered is a second home in Coyhaique, Chilean Patagonia, located on the River Simpson, on the outskirts of the city, 1.5 km from the city center.


The program includes a large space containing the main living room, open kitchen, 6 cabins on site, one guest bathroom and a suite room. The second level contains a wide open floor plan with access to a balcony.


Architecture, has its origins in traditional constructions southern end of Chile, which aims to support a hostile climate in winter, with snow, rain and cold almost all year. For these conditions and the material to be used, it was decided to raise the house to separate the field.


On the other hand, a budget bounded coupled with a scarce labor and basic technology, led to pose a simple type design wooden shed, to build without special construction details, all based on local pine wood, interior completions grooved plywood boards and covered with zinc. The volume comes from access hermetically coated by the same cover material (zinc plates) and opens fully to the views dominating over the river and the Mackay hill with a large terrace plank. The interior is completely made of wood and the house is assembled from a large table that also serves as a rest inside the staircase and in the terrace as a second dining room. more informations


The house is designed under simple strategies, constructive and environmental, due to the precariousness of the existing workforce in the area.. in the first place it was decided not to intervene the land so the house was separated by piles, being isolated also of the humidity of soil. North orientation, sunny is key to be able to maintain the interior temperature in winter, which has temperatures reaching -20º high wind, rain and snow. In summer temperatures can reach 30º. For this reason, isolation is the main issue to be solved in any building in the area, so a system of partitions with interior insulation based on air spaces and insulation materials on floor, walls and roofs was developed. The window are thermocouple and considered a natural ventilation system. The totality of materiality and labor is completely local, being this a contribution to the industrial development and work of the small city of Coyhaique, Chilean Patagonia.

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