La Reina

Santiago de Chile
2016
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Two sisters and their families inherited a single-story timber-frame house from their father. They agreed that a second floor should be added so that both families could liveĀ on the family property. While there was significant sentimental value attached to the existing house, it lacked structural and architectural substance, and offered no reasonable possibility of adding a second floor. In order to bridge this schism between the subjective and objective value of the existing house, we separated the spatial memory of the old house from its material existence by using the house as formwork to cast the new two-story concrete house against. The imprint of the former house survives in the two new houses while the actual structure is removed as soon as the concrete has cured. This 'cast' forms the ground floor. The new upper floor houses the private areas - rotated 45 degrees against the ground floor - thus offering views and privacy for both of the houses standing in very close proximity.
FAR frohn&rojas
Project Team: Marc Frohn, Mario Rojas, Max Koch, Carolina Hito, Jean Araya, Marco Mondello
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existing house
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concept development sequence: using the existing house as formwork for casting the two new houses
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ground floor plan
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first floor plan
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sections
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interior axo
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MODELS: Showing both volumes cast from the existing house
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interior axo
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interior model photo
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exterior model photo