Patagonia Complex by Estudio Base Arquitectos in Patagonia, Chile

Project: Patagonia Complex Architects: Estudio Base Arquitectos Location: Patagonia, Chile Area: 8072 sq ft Year: 2019 Photographs: Pablo Casals Aguirre

Patagonia Complex by Estudio Base Arquitectos

Estudio Base Arquitectos designed the Patagonia Complex located in a small lake bay in southern Chile. With over 8000 square feet of living space, this house was designed for a large family. Its design also aims to maximize natural light inside the rooms.

The Patagonia Complex is located in a small lake bay in southern Chile. The main feature of the lake is its limited access from land, accessible only by boat. This made the project implementation a significant challenge.

The task was to design a series of houses for a very large family, where all rooms and common areas face the lake and volcano, the main geographical landmark of the region.

The houses were designed to maximize natural light throughout the day, creating very bright spaces even within the northern forest with trees over 20 meters tall.

Location and surroundings: flat land with unlimited views of the lake and volcano, oriented north to maximize natural light, shaded local forest behind providing a natural wall protecting the site from wind and rain.

The strategy was to minimize impact on the land. Houses are built at the same level, with independent volumes raised from a common area between them for family gatherings.

The main goal of the project was its construction. Accessibility and material and labor distribution in this area were among several difficulties that were overcome.

The project was based on a mechanized metal structure assembled from sections, facilitating transportation and installation. Local materials were used such as wooden cladding for ceilings and walls; stone used in load-bearing walls; quadrolin cladding for the facade, which has low maintenance costs and high strength in extreme climatic conditions in this area.

The project has a small ecological footprint, as it is capable of generating all necessary energy using solar panels installed on the roof and storing energy in batteries inside the homes. The entire electrical system is designed to work with low-energy LED equipment.

–Estudio Base Arquitectos