Andes House
Santiago, Chile
Chetwoods

Delicate house blooms amid craggy foothills

Courtesy Chetwoods

For more images click on 'photos & drawings' above.

This house’s location, a hilltop site nestled in the Andes foothills, sounds idyllic, but the surrounding environment is often harsh. Temperatures reach desert-like highs during daytime hours and then plunge below freezing at night. Due to the site’s remoteness, moreover, the house must be entirely self-sufficient and supply its own water and electricity. The house’s distinctive form provides solutions to these problems.

The form and function of Andes House mimics an alpine flower reacting to its habitat and climate, opening each day to soak up the sun’s energy and then closing as dusk falls to protect its fragile innards from the cold of night. In daytime, the house’s roof, an array of huge petals, opens upward and out to provide stunning views over the rainforest while shading the entire property and allowing ventilation. At night, the petals close, enveloping the extensively glazed façade, insulating the house and transforming it into a sanctuary.

The roof also incorporates the house’s power source and provides a percentage of its water requirement. Photovoltaic panels adorn the petals, while the roof in its open position forms a shallow funnel that operates as a large rainwater collector. A solar-powered pump draws water from a natural spring deep within the hillside to supplement the rainwater collected. The house also relies on the hillside for heat. During the day, rocks that surround and underlie the house get hot in the warmth of the sun; then, at night, they release this heat back into the atmosphere, passively heating the house at the same time.

Inside the building, a spiral ramp ascends from ground floor to roof level through the house’s core. It provides access to each of the floors while also acting as a conduit for the water and power supply. Bedrooms encircle the ramp as well as a large open-plan living space that affords views in all directions, maintaining a constant visual connection to the natural environment outside.

Construction on the project will begin soon.

Formal name of building:
Andes House

Location:
Santiago, Chile

Gross square footage:
3,281 sq. ft.

Total construction cost:
$2.2 Million

Architect:
Chetwoods
12-13 Clerkenwell Green
London EC1R 0QJ
United Kingdom
44-207-490-2400 tel.
44-207-250-1916 fax
www.chetwood.co.uk

Laurie Chetwood, Dip Arch (Dist) RIBA

Chairman & chief executive of Chetwoods: Laurie Chetwood, Dip Arch (Dist) RIBA
Regional director of Chetwoods: Carlos Dublanc
Part 1 student at Chetwoods: Harjinder Singh

Engineer
WSP
Buchanan House
24-30 Holborn
London EC1N 2HS
United Kingdom
44-207-314-5000 tel.

Consultant(s)
Landscape:
Derek Lovejoy and Partners
8-11 Denbigh Mews
London SW1V 2HQ
United Kingdom
44-207-828-6392 tel.

Lighting:
Crescent Lighting
8 Rivermead, Pipers Lane
Thatcham, Berkshire RG19 4EP
United Kingdom
44-163-587-8888 tel.
www.crescent.co.uk

Renderer(s)
Laurie Chetwood

CAD system, project management, or other software used
WACOM www.wacom.com