ENRIQUE BROWNE & ASSOCIATE ARCHITECTS
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SAN DAMIAN HOUSE Location : San Damian Street N° 201, Las Condes, Santiago Architects : Enrique Browne, Eduardo San Martin and Patricio Wenborne Structural Engineer : Harmut Vogel and Rodrigo Mujica Photographer : Luis Poirot, Enrique Browne Plot area : 1.560 sq. mt. Total floor area : 296 sq. mt. Project Date : 1986 Construction Date : 1987 The site is located at the end of a passage. The best nearby views and the best sunlight are obtained in the opposite direction of the entrance to the terrain. So it was decided to locate the house at the back of the site. Thus, the sinuous entrance road would serve also as a pedestrian walkway. The house has two axes. The first crosses the site in its whole width. It consists of a one-level parrón with wooden beams containing two children's bedrooms, bathrooms, and a kitchen. The second axis has two levels and is dissected perpendicularly by the first. It corresponds to the more public programs of the living room (of double height) and the dining room. Above this latter, the parents' spaces are located. The entrance hall is located at the intersection of the two axes, with a double height and natural overhead light. The disposition of the two axes of the house serves also to delimit the exterior spaces. At the back, the service patio and a patio with orange trees, which offers tranquil views to the dining room and children's den, are located. Towards the front, however, it was avoided the intersection of the axes because it would have cut the garden visually. For this reason, the living room has a triangular form which terminates at the chimney. This allows the front corridor and the children's bedrooms to embrace the garden. At the same time, the oblique direction of the living room windows orients its internal space to the north, with the best distant views. The thermal regulation of the house was carefully considered. The fronts facing towards the south are very hermetic, and in some cases they have a double wall. In front of the hanging windows towards the north, square membranes of wood are suspended. Through these, climbers of deciduous leaves will rise, fluctuating according to the seasons of the year. Furthermore, these membranes expand the virtual space of the living room, dining room and main bedroom.