The assignment consisted of a rest home to be located on the Las Mercedes Farm, Lake Riñihue, Valdivia. The work has 277m2 and is located on a 5000m2 plot of land, with a 12% slope and views of the lake. The work is proposed based on two crossed bodies, one on top of the other, to achieve indoor outdoor spaces, with the architecture being in charge of protecting boats, boats and cars from the rain.
It was designed and built in the middle of the pandemic. There was no stock of materials, limited production suppliers, many imports were frozen, contractors changed sectors, price increases and the workshops did not respond. We gathered the teachers and began to analyze the materials that were available in the Los Ríos region. Of course the wood was the protagonist. Both structure and coatings and finishes were executed with this material. Five types of wood were selected according to the strength of each of them. This operation not only solved the problem, but also transformed wood into the identity of the project. If we hadn't been forced to use it, we probably wouldn't have given it the chance it deserves.
While wood is a tree, it absorbs CO2 and releases oxygen, helping to “decontaminate” while it is transformed into a construction material. On the contrary, everything that needs to be done to manufacture other types of materials releases harmful substances into the environment. Finally, tree waste and wood construction cuttings are nutrients for the earth and the others are waste.
The kitchen has been undergoing a mutation from a service space to being the heart of the house. This process was accelerated during the pandemic. Today it merits a rethinking of the program, transforming this venue into a multipurpose space capable of stimulating coexistence, a single venue opposed to the old fragmentation. The project was a response to the commission of a chef, who, in order to develop his passion, was paradoxically isolated from meetings in his own home.
Team:
Architects: Vicente Architects
Photo credits: Banny Sandoval
Materials Used:
Facade cladding: Hualle wood
Flooring: Coigüe wood
Structure: Pine
structural trusses: Oregon wood
Interior lighting: black spotlights
