Gustavo Crisóstomo, Casa Tunquen.

Time
Chile is a country defined by its territory. It is an area dramatically located in the southwest corner of the Andes, on the edge of the Pacific Ocean. It is very narrow and long so it has very different climate zones, all under one condition: it is exposed to a challenging geographical context.
Emergency is a current event in Chile; a few times a year, somewhere, makeshift neighborhoods are built, many times over its own remains. We are familiar with that, we know about it, and we have got enough experience to wonder about quality. That means minimal building resources, short time, low volume, low weight, good comfort standards, and public facilities. Organization and solidarity are particularly relevant.
Globally, either because of natural disasters (homeless, displaced) or for geopolitical reasons (migrants, refugees), our present constantly demands our inventiveness to face extreme situations, where every achievement, no matter how small, is a great victory.
Space
On behalf of Syntheon Chile, we have developed a conceptual emergency solution, including a 24m2 House for one family, and a 80m2 Collective Use unit.
The material used is the same as that used in high-end projects, as Tunquén House, located on the coast of central Chile, corresponding to an EPS panels system with steel structure.
The panels have been coated and organized in parts, some of which have hinges that allow raising the units in one day with 1 or 2 quadrilles. Each kit of parts can be delivered in sealed packaging, which occupies a quarter or a half High Cube 40" container.
The panels system used provides a high standard of habitability thanks to the detail of the system, which allows the steel structure take full advantage of the insulation material. Considering the relevance of the transportation in the case of emergency structures, the low weight of the structuring/insulating element significantly reduces the carbon footprint that considers the entire process.
Existence
Tunquén House
The commission consists of housing for a mature couple, childless, that once retired, decides to leave the city to live in this place near the sea. The land, located between the road and an interior driveway, has a gentle slope to the west and a distant view of the sea from the height above the neighboring houses. Such a view appears as the main attribute of place next to the immediate presence of a young forest of eucalyptus and some native species.
The project includes two separate living units that join in the service area, but volumetrically consists of two bays that develop from east to west, joined by a perpendicular and larger body containing the living areas, study, and main double height.
The main house develops along an interior corridor divided into three successive sections built along an exposed concrete structure, and in its exterior is placed a square terrace of 100m2, which is the center of the house, defining a new system of external circulations between enclosures. The fourth side of the terrace, also made of concrete, measures the relationship of this space with the landscape, framing the view to the distant sea, taking the neighboring houses out of the vista.