REMODELING APARTMENT

Location: Américo Vespucio 760. Floor 6. Las Condes. Santiago Architect: Enrique Browne Collaborators: Hernán Fontaine, Agustín Infante y Nicolás Saieh Built surface: 294 m2 Photography Credits: Felipe Fontecilla, Enrique Browne Project year: 2007 Construction year: 2008

The Project is the transformation of a 20 year old apartment in a historicist building. Since it´s located in the 6th floor, it has excellent views to a big green area to the west. The remodeling considered a different program from its original, plus a guest room. This and other reasons influenced in the desire of generating bigger and more integrated spaces. The possibilities of intervention were very restrictive because: a) It was a requirement to keep the exterior untouched; b) Almost all the walls were of structural reinforced concrete, and; c) the floor-ceiling height was very low. The proposal integrates and increases the spaces as possible. For example, by unifying the living room and the dining room or by making the bedrooms bigger. The bedrooms connect with a long library-corridor. The spatial quality and variety is achieved with wooden bands in the ceiling that connect the spaces, hid the beams, illumination and other fittings. These bands descend to the floor in certain doors, connecting the ceiling to the floor. Another descends to the table of the dining room. In the kitchen a red ceramic band climbs from the floor to the table and stove and it returns to the floor again. The changing natural and artificial light gives variety to spaces. The bathrooms had a special treatment to give them warmth.