Los Canteros Mountain Refuge - dRN Arquitectos

<span style="font-family:times new roman;">The site was an existing void in the middle of a slope, bound on two sides by magnificent old containment walls built of stone. These walls defined a level area of approximately 12×10mts, 7.5mts below the level of the road. A few scattered trees seemed significant, as vegetation is hard to find at 2000 mts high in the middle of The Andes Mountains. </span><br /><span style="font-family:times new roman;"></span><div align="center"><br /><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_aZt2c3fWlp8/SROK_PQ7XnI/AAAAAAAAFNk/wgXaomAGRnI/s000/10.jpg" target="_blank"><img alt="Refugio Los Canteros, dRN-Arquitectos, ARQUITECTURA, CASAS, DISEÑO" border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_aZt2c3fWlp8/SROK_PQ7XnI/AAAAAAAAFNk/wgXaomAGRnI/s000/10.jpg" style="WIDTH: 550px; CURSOR: hand" /></a><br /><br /><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_aZt2c3fWlp8/SROLG7nMj3I/AAAAAAAAFNs/8-xzM4xfUVg/s000/11.jpg" target="_blank"><img alt="Refugio Los Canteros, dRN-Arquitectos, ARQUITECTURA, CASAS, DISEÑO" border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_aZt2c3fWlp8/SROLG7nMj3I/AAAAAAAAFNs/8-xzM4xfUVg/s000/11.jpg" style="WIDTH: 550px; CURSOR: hand" /></a><br /><br /><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_aZt2c3fWlp8/SROLLgwBjII/AAAAAAAAFN0/Y8khHkg5xmk/s000/14.jpg" target="_blank"><img alt="Refugio Los Canteros, dRN-Arquitectos, ARQUITECTURA, CASAS, DISEÑO" border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_aZt2c3fWlp8/SROLLgwBjII/AAAAAAAAFN0/Y8khHkg5xmk/s000/14.jpg" style="WIDTH: 550px; CURSOR: hand" /></a></div><div align="left"><br /><span style="font-family:times new roman;">The intense bright light reflected off the snow, together with the thermal loss through windows and walls are important aspects when building in the mountains. These conditions were something that the old mountain chalets, built in the town of Farellones during the 40’s and 60’s, took into account through small interior spaces and thick stonewalls with very small openings in their facades. </span></div><span style="font-family:times new roman;"></span><div align="center"><br /><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_aZt2c3fWlp8/SROLQb3smWI/AAAAAAAAFN8/EtIktSkdSew/s000/03.jpg" target="_blank"><img alt="Refugio Los Canteros, dRN-Arquitectos, ARQUITECTURA, CASAS, DISEÑO" border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_aZt2c3fWlp8/SROLQb3smWI/AAAAAAAAFN8/EtIktSkdSew/s000/03.jpg" style="WIDTH: 550px; CURSOR: hand" /></a><br /><br /><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_aZt2c3fWlp8/SROLTkvgP7I/AAAAAAAAFOE/K8xcIvSSJhM/s000/01.jpg" target="_blank"><img alt="Refugio Los Canteros, dRN-Arquitectos, ARQUITECTURA, CASAS, DISEÑO" border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_aZt2c3fWlp8/SROLTkvgP7I/AAAAAAAAFOE/K8xcIvSSJhM/s000/01.jpg" style="WIDTH: 550px; CURSOR: hand" /></a><br /><br /><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_aZt2c3fWlp8/SROLXNLxoeI/AAAAAAAAFOM/pYpPy5nvR1w/s000/04.jpg" target="_blank"><img alt="Refugio Los Canteros, dRN-Arquitectos, ARQUITECTURA, CASAS, DISEÑO" border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_aZt2c3fWlp8/SROLXNLxoeI/AAAAAAAAFOM/pYpPy5nvR1w/s000/04.jpg" style="WIDTH: 550px; CURSOR: hand" /></a></div><div align="left"><br /><span style="font-family:times new roman;">For designing this contemporary mountain refuge we proposed a monolithic volume of stone that partially fills the void left by the existing containment walls. Window openings are minimal and were placed so as to illuminate specific acts, or to frame certain parts of the surrounding landscape, keeping away the sight of the neighbours.<br />This simple stone cube is broken up by other elements that overhang from its perimeter, modifying the basic figure and giving it an orientation towards specific external features.</span> </div><div align="center"><br /><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_aZt2c3fWlp8/SROLathpKmI/AAAAAAAAFOU/7yzI3Wbl_LU/s000/06.jpg" target="_blank"><img alt="Refugio Los Canteros, dRN-Arquitectos, ARQUITECTURA, CASAS, DISEÑO" border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_aZt2c3fWlp8/SROLathpKmI/AAAAAAAAFOU/7yzI3Wbl_LU/s000/06.jpg" style="WIDTH: 550px; CURSOR: hand" /></a><br /><br /><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_aZt2c3fWlp8/SROLerMJgKI/AAAAAAAAFOc/rUKtF--XXiI/s000/08.jpg" target="_blank"><img alt="Refugio Los Canteros, dRN-Arquitectos, ARQUITECTURA, CASAS, DISEÑO" border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_aZt2c3fWlp8/SROLerMJgKI/AAAAAAAAFOc/rUKtF--XXiI/s000/08.jpg" style="WIDTH: 550px; CURSOR: hand" /></a></div><div align="left"><br /><span style="font-family:times new roman;">A horizontal window looking out to the main view across the valley below appears as another volume, which also serves a bench. A second transparent volume on top, serves as an access area that acts as a lamp during the night. Finally, a light steel walkway links the road with the upper level of the refuge.</span> </div><div align="center"><br /><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_aZt2c3fWlp8/SROLjvvE_0I/AAAAAAAAFOk/GGg32c3twpw/s000/09.jpg" target="_blank"><img alt="Refugio Los Canteros, dRN-Arquitectos, ARQUITECTURA, CASAS, DISEÑO" border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_aZt2c3fWlp8/SROLjvvE_0I/AAAAAAAAFOk/GGg32c3twpw/s000/09.jpg" style="WIDTH: 550px; CURSOR: hand" /></a><br /><br /><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_aZt2c3fWlp8/SROLnkgK9TI/AAAAAAAAFOs/ITNMaI0kxOc/s000/17.jpg" target="_blank"><img alt="Refugio Los Canteros, dRN-Arquitectos, ARQUITECTURA, CASAS, DISEÑO" border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_aZt2c3fWlp8/SROLnkgK9TI/AAAAAAAAFOs/ITNMaI0kxOc/s000/17.jpg" style="WIDTH: 550px; CURSOR: hand" /></a></div><div align="left"><br /><span style="font-family:times new roman;">The window of good weather for building at these altitudes is very narrow (6 months), so a rapid construction plan was required. We decided to build with a prefabricated steel frame structure that would reduce assembly time. This metal cage was then covered with different layers of insulation responding to specific needs; (much like the clothes of a mountain climber).</span> </div><div align="center"><br /><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_aZt2c3fWlp8/SROLsCAx-qI/AAAAAAAAFO0/i3OffgpKRIY/s000/20.jpg" target="_blank"><img alt="Refugio Los Canteros, dRN-Arquitectos, ARQUITECTURA, CASAS, DISEÑO" border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_aZt2c3fWlp8/SROLsCAx-qI/AAAAAAAAFO0/i3OffgpKRIY/s000/20.jpg" style="WIDTH: 550px; CURSOR: hand" /></a><br /><br /><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_aZt2c3fWlp8/SROLyL2rA4I/AAAAAAAAFO8/bD_DITwQ5Kw/s000/21.jpg" target="_blank"><img alt="Refugio Los Canteros, dRN-Arquitectos, ARQUITECTURA, CASAS, DISEÑO" border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_aZt2c3fWlp8/SROLyL2rA4I/AAAAAAAAFO8/bD_DITwQ5Kw/s000/21.jpg" style="WIDTH: 550px; CURSOR: hand" /></a><br /><br /><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_aZt2c3fWlp8/SRONq_CroFI/AAAAAAAAFRM/TWTsvHOE9Pw/s000/22.jpg" target="_blank"><img alt="Refugio Los Canteros, dRN-Arquitectos, ARQUITECTURA, CASAS, DISEÑO" border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_aZt2c3fWlp8/SRONq_CroFI/AAAAAAAAFRM/TWTsvHOE9Pw/s000/22.jpg" style="WIDTH: 550px; CURSOR: hand" /></a> </div><div align="left"><br /><span style="font-family:times new roman;"><br />First, an interior plywood cladding for a warmer atmosphere in the inside, then a double thermal insulation within the steel structure, next a waterproof membrane, and finally an exterior cladding of black slate stone. This external finish resists well the harsh weather of extreme low temperatures, snow and rain. It also establishes a material link with the old stone refuges nearby.<br /><br />Unlike the nearby existing structures, whose construction is now too expensive, here the stone doesn’t take a structural role. This is accentuated by the vertical and horizontal position of the stone and by not letting the cladding touch the ground<br />.</span> </div><div align="center"><br /><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_aZt2c3fWlp8/SROMU1tuXEI/AAAAAAAAFPE/XZwnJ3sjbVM/s000/23.jpg" target="_blank"><img alt="Refugio Los Canteros, dRN-Arquitectos, ARQUITECTURA, CASAS, DISEÑO" border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_aZt2c3fWlp8/SROMU1tuXEI/AAAAAAAAFPE/XZwnJ3sjbVM/s000/23.jpg" style="WIDTH: 550px; CURSOR: hand" /></a><br /><br /><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_aZt2c3fWlp8/SROMYvj31KI/AAAAAAAAFPM/h0Wry9mFFkY/s000/24.jpg" target="_blank"><img alt="Refugio Los Canteros, dRN-Arquitectos, ARQUITECTURA, CASAS, DISEÑO" border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_aZt2c3fWlp8/SROMYvj31KI/AAAAAAAAFPM/h0Wry9mFFkY/s000/24.jpg" style="WIDTH: 550px; CURSOR: hand" /></a><br /><br /><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_aZt2c3fWlp8/SROMeRoB50I/AAAAAAAAFPU/8tzpxyP0A9k/s000/31.jpg" target="_blank"><img alt="Refugio Los Canteros, dRN-Arquitectos, ARQUITECTURA, CASAS, DISEÑO" border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_aZt2c3fWlp8/SROMeRoB50I/AAAAAAAAFPU/8tzpxyP0A9k/s000/31.jpg" style="WIDTH: 550px; CURSOR: hand" /></a> </div><div align="left"><br /><span style="font-family:times new roman;">Mountain lodges normally receive more people than they can lodge, more mountain gear than they can store, more logs than they can burn, and the design had to foresee this situation. To take this into account the structure was divided into 3 independent floors. A first floor with 4 small bedrooms, a second floor with a common space with four areas for eating, playing, sitting and cooking, and a third floor for access and with enough space to store all that mountain equipment.<br /><br />Maximum use of space in extreme weather conditions.</span> </div><div align="center"><br /><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_aZt2c3fWlp8/SROMl_kLA7I/AAAAAAAAFPc/nUh-YSMKUwA/s000/34.jpg" target="_blank"><img alt="Refugio Los Canteros, dRN-Arquitectos, ARQUITECTURA, CASAS, DISEÑO" border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_aZt2c3fWlp8/SROMl_kLA7I/AAAAAAAAFPc/nUh-YSMKUwA/s000/34.jpg" style="WIDTH: 550px; CURSOR: hand" /></a><br /><br /><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_aZt2c3fWlp8/SROMpvHdp6I/AAAAAAAAFPk/VZvLb0fVQ2M/s000/05.jpg" target="_blank"><img alt="Refugio Los Canteros, dRN-Arquitectos, ARQUITECTURA, CASAS, DISEÑO" border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_aZt2c3fWlp8/SROMpvHdp6I/AAAAAAAAFPk/VZvLb0fVQ2M/s000/05.jpg" style="WIDTH: 550px; CURSOR: hand" /></a><br /><br /><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_aZt2c3fWlp8/SROMt4CdThI/AAAAAAAAFPs/svpvRnBoLtY/s000/12.jpg" target="_blank"><img alt="Refugio Los Canteros, dRN-Arquitectos, ARQUITECTURA, CASAS, DISEÑO" border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_aZt2c3fWlp8/SROMt4CdThI/AAAAAAAAFPs/svpvRnBoLtY/s000/12.jpg" style="WIDTH: 550px; CURSOR: hand" /></a><br /><br /><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_aZt2c3fWlp8/SROMw10rv5I/AAAAAAAAFP0/ehz0ZhBzvEk/s000/25.jpg" target="_blank"><img alt="Refugio Los Canteros, dRN-Arquitectos, ARQUITECTURA, CASAS, DISEÑO" border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_aZt2c3fWlp8/SROMw10rv5I/AAAAAAAAFP0/ehz0ZhBzvEk/s000/25.jpg" style="WIDTH: 550px; CURSOR: hand" /></a><br /><br /><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_aZt2c3fWlp8/SROM1aDrN3I/AAAAAAAAFP8/XQaSei4wGSk/s000/27.jpg" target="_blank"><img alt="Refugio Los Canteros, dRN-Arquitectos, ARQUITECTURA, CASAS, DISEÑO" border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_aZt2c3fWlp8/SROM1aDrN3I/AAAAAAAAFP8/XQaSei4wGSk/s000/27.jpg" style="WIDTH: 550px; CURSOR: hand" /></a><br /><br /><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_aZt2c3fWlp8/SROM4kT2xKI/AAAAAAAAFQE/M3vxexowWbU/s000/28.jpg" target="_blank"><img alt="Refugio Los Canteros, dRN-Arquitectos, ARQUITECTURA, CASAS, DISEÑO" border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_aZt2c3fWlp8/SROM4kT2xKI/AAAAAAAAFQE/M3vxexowWbU/s000/28.jpg" style="WIDTH: 550px; CURSOR: hand" /></a><br /><br /><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_aZt2c3fWlp8/SROM8agck2I/AAAAAAAAFQM/3RnrNm9Ma30/s000/33.jpg" target="_blank"><img alt="Refugio Los Canteros, dRN-Arquitectos, ARQUITECTURA, CASAS, DISEÑO" border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_aZt2c3fWlp8/SROM8agck2I/AAAAAAAAFQM/3RnrNm9Ma30/s000/33.jpg" style="WIDTH: 550px; CURSOR: hand" /></a> </div><div align="left"><br /></div><div align="left"><span style="font-family:times new roman;">Architects: Nicolás del Rio y Max Núñez / </span><a href="http://www.drn.cl/" modo="false"><span style="font-family:times new roman;">dRN ARQUITECTOS</span></a></div><div align="left"><span style="font-family:times new roman;">Location: Farellones, Chile<br />Collaborator: Oltmann Ahlers G.<br />Structural Engineer: Enzo Valladares<br />Contractor: Eduardo Torreblanca<br />Site Area: 435 sqm<br />Constructed Area: 140 sqm<br />Project Year: 2007<br />Construction Year: 2008<br />Materials: Steel, Stone, Wood<br />Budget: US $792 /sqm<br />Photographs: Felipe Camus. </span></div><div align="center"><br /><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_aZt2c3fWlp8/SRONAmlUI_I/AAAAAAAAFQU/xMCcZfMYqpI/s000/ubicacion.jpg" target="_blank"><img alt="Refugio Los Canteros, dRN-Arquitectos, ARQUITECTURA, CASAS, DISEÑO" border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_aZt2c3fWlp8/SRONAmlUI_I/AAAAAAAAFQU/xMCcZfMYqpI/s000/ubicacion.jpg" style="WIDTH: 550px; CURSOR: hand" /></a><br /><br /><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_aZt2c3fWlp8/SRONE300v0I/AAAAAAAAFQc/2cAZ6ZqeT1U/s000/planta1.jpg" target="_blank"><img alt="Refugio Los Canteros, dRN-Arquitectos, ARQUITECTURA, CASAS, DISEÑO" border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_aZt2c3fWlp8/SRONE300v0I/AAAAAAAAFQc/2cAZ6ZqeT1U/s000/planta1.jpg" style="WIDTH: 550px; CURSOR: hand" /></a><br /><br /><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_aZt2c3fWlp8/SRONUHpCNtI/AAAAAAAAFQk/wYOxysjjCfk/s000/planta2.jpg" target="_blank"><img alt="Refugio Los Canteros, dRN-Arquitectos, ARQUITECTURA, CASAS, DISEÑO" border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_aZt2c3fWlp8/SRONUHpCNtI/AAAAAAAAFQk/wYOxysjjCfk/s000/planta2.jpg" style="WIDTH: 550px; CURSOR: hand" /></a><br /><br /><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_aZt2c3fWlp8/SRONY_wdvAI/AAAAAAAAFQs/I7XFSgrBTtY/s000/planta3.jpg" target="_blank"><img alt="Refugio Los Canteros, dRN-Arquitectos, ARQUITECTURA, CASAS, DISEÑO" border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_aZt2c3fWlp8/SRONY_wdvAI/AAAAAAAAFQs/I7XFSgrBTtY/s000/planta3.jpg" style="WIDTH: 550px; CURSOR: hand" /></a><br /><br /><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_aZt2c3fWlp8/SRONdRizktI/AAAAAAAAFQ0/YTsL8AKbFnE/s000/elev_norte.jpg" target="_blank"><img alt="Refugio Los Canteros, dRN-Arquitectos, ARQUITECTURA, CASAS, DISEÑO" border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_aZt2c3fWlp8/SRONdRizktI/AAAAAAAAFQ0/YTsL8AKbFnE/s000/elev_norte.jpg" style="WIDTH: 550px; CURSOR: hand" /></a><br /><br /><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_aZt2c3fWlp8/SRONja9kwwI/AAAAAAAAFQ8/iaZFf5c5Oyo/s000/elev_oriente.jpg" target="_blank"><img alt="Refugio Los Canteros, dRN-Arquitectos, ARQUITECTURA, CASAS, DISEÑO" border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_aZt2c3fWlp8/SRONja9kwwI/AAAAAAAAFQ8/iaZFf5c5Oyo/s000/elev_oriente.jpg" style="WIDTH: 550px; CURSOR: hand" /></a><br /><br /><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_aZt2c3fWlp8/SRONnxmcH7I/AAAAAAAAFRE/av6wGuF8bSk/s000/elev_poniente.jpg" target="_blank"><img alt="Refugio Los Canteros, dRN-Arquitectos, ARQUITECTURA, CASAS, DISEÑO" border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_aZt2c3fWlp8/SRONnxmcH7I/AAAAAAAAFRE/av6wGuF8bSk/s000/elev_poniente.jpg" style="WIDTH: 550px; CURSOR: hand" /></a><br /><br /><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_aZt2c3fWlp8/SRONuyd0WLI/AAAAAAAAFRU/NFRySar7wDA/s000/elev_sur.jpg" target="_blank"><img alt="Refugio Los Canteros, dRN-Arquitectos, ARQUITECTURA, CASAS, DISEÑO" border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_aZt2c3fWlp8/SRONuyd0WLI/AAAAAAAAFRU/NFRySar7wDA/s000/elev_sur.jpg" style="WIDTH: 550px; CURSOR: hand" /></a><br /><br /><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_aZt2c3fWlp8/SRONyvDUfQI/AAAAAAAAFRc/egEj6rAUkjU/s000/corte1.jpg" target="_blank"><img alt="Refugio Los Canteros, dRN-Arquitectos, ARQUITECTURA, CASAS, DISEÑO" border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_aZt2c3fWlp8/SRONyvDUfQI/AAAAAAAAFRc/egEj6rAUkjU/s000/corte1.jpg" style="WIDTH: 550px; CURSOR: hand" /></a><br /><br /><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_aZt2c3fWlp8/SRON1pqqymI/AAAAAAAAFRk/3vjuEU-5bws/s000/corte2.jpg" target="_blank"><img alt="Refugio Los Canteros, dRN-Arquitectos, ARQUITECTURA, CASAS, DISEÑO" border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_aZt2c3fWlp8/SRON1pqqymI/AAAAAAAAFRk/3vjuEU-5bws/s000/corte2.jpg" style="WIDTH: 550px; CURSOR: hand" /></a><br /><br /><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_aZt2c3fWlp8/SRON6Ib4SGI/AAAAAAAAFRs/-rhQzZsj8EY/s000/detalle1.jpg" target="_blank"><img alt="Refugio Los Canteros, dRN-Arquitectos, ARQUITECTURA, CASAS, DISEÑO" border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_aZt2c3fWlp8/SRON6Ib4SGI/AAAAAAAAFRs/-rhQzZsj8EY/s000/detalle1.jpg" style="WIDTH: 550px; CURSOR: hand" /></a><br /><br /><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_aZt2c3fWlp8/SROOA7J2N1I/AAAAAAAAFR0/f28ReR7yQwo/s000/detalle2.jpg" target="_blank"><img alt="Refugio Los Canteros, dRN-Arquitectos, ARQUITECTURA, CASAS, DISEÑO" border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_aZt2c3fWlp8/SROOA7J2N1I/AAAAAAAAFR0/f28ReR7yQwo/s000/detalle2.jpg" style="WIDTH: 550px; CURSOR: hand" /></a></div>

Los Canteros Mountain Refuge - dRN Arquitectos

The site was an existing void in the middle of a slope, bound on two sides by magnificent old containment walls built of stone. These walls ...

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Villa 1 - Powerhouse Company

<strong>One<br /></strong>Villa 1 was the first villa commissioned to Powerhouse Company since its founding in May 2005. In order to mark the site a golden “1″ was nailed to a pine tree at the end of a dirt road.<br /><div align="center"><br /><a href="http://public.bay.livefilestore.com/y1py2WxW3h9p-05Wg2bMmYkl8L96kXZCt-jwaCE5VObelkK5X_9_f7OXDOiQECDky_AKXy1iU2aSBuvsMzMGCiC9A/ferari-2-klein.jpg" target="_blank"><img alt="Villa 1, Powerhouse Company" border="0" src="http://public.bay.livefilestore.com/y1py2WxW3h9p-05Wg2bMmYkl8L96kXZCt-jwaCE5VObelkK5X_9_f7OXDOiQECDky_AKXy1iU2aSBuvsMzMGCiC9A/ferari-2-klein.jpg" style="WIDTH: 550px; CURSOR: hand" /></a><br /></div><div align="left"><br /><strong>Upside-down<br /></strong><br />The forest, like most of the Dutch landscape, is manmade. Mostly Douglas Pines were planted there in the 1950s for the production of straight stems that could then be used as beams. The trees became mature enough to be harvested in the 1970s, paradoxically just when it became immoral to cut trees. The landscape thus turned from industrial to being natural.</div><div align="center"><br /><a href="http://public.bay.livefilestore.com/y1pOv_afKEncF_u5McdSp_AXwwPlY9WMrIbmzutdH2h9zeE9_1v5zA9Lrsi2JOgiQwH0LJzit53QbGjQIIr9Zxcjw/main-overvieuw-domus.jpg" target="_blank"><img alt="Villa 1, Powerhouse Company" border="0" src="http://public.bay.livefilestore.com/y1pOv_afKEncF_u5McdSp_AXwwPlY9WMrIbmzutdH2h9zeE9_1v5zA9Lrsi2JOgiQwH0LJzit53QbGjQIIr9Zxcjw/main-overvieuw-domus.jpg" style="WIDTH: 550px; CURSOR: hand" /></a><br /></div><div align="left"><br />Now the site falls under the local “building-in-nature” regulations, which include a number of restrictions, among which height limitations for the gutter lines and volumetric restrictions for what could be build above ground. Since the spatial needs of the house called for at least twice the volume allowed by the regulations, we designed it upside-down: all day functions above ground and all bedrooms below, but with ample daylight access. </div><div align="center"><a href="http://public.bay.livefilestore.com/y1pirK_VxVfWaMd-UmEQbAEe-KD86I4EPVKjRoF3FARS_fILleFdJbkpWQOOnv_DqzHXpkYyYCdMbnxCOHD9ir2FA/ochtend-klein.jpg" target="_blank"><img alt="Villa 1, Powerhouse Company" border="0" src="http://public.bay.livefilestore.com/y1pirK_VxVfWaMd-UmEQbAEe-KD86I4EPVKjRoF3FARS_fILleFdJbkpWQOOnv_DqzHXpkYyYCdMbnxCOHD9ir2FA/ochtend-klein.jpg" style="WIDTH: 550px; CURSOR: hand" /></a></div><div align="left"><br /><strong>Why Y</strong> </div><div align="left"><br />The site has a slight incline. It offers beautiful views on the forest and great sun exposure that we wanted to fully take advantage of. We thus came up with the distinctive Y-shape of the house: every wing is optimally oriented on the terrain and to the sun. There are three wings: one wing for work, studying and music making (North-West exposure); one for cooking and eating (East-South-West exposure); and one for living and painting (South and North exposure). In the basement, the Y-shape creates a similar functional clarity: one wing is for the master bedroom, one for cars and one for storage and guestrooms. A patio provides light for the guestrooms.</div><div align="center"><br /><a href="http://public.bay.livefilestore.com/y1pJOsEMdRFae5rEKfjueO9FhWcFdG2kDBng9ZPETpBB9o2KfeEMP9pTzKn_P18Ztp8Ypis_VSzVOepT7HGGHZ5xg/reflectie-doos-klein.jpg" target="_blank"><img alt="Villa 1, Powerhouse Company" border="0" src="http://public.bay.livefilestore.com/y1pJOsEMdRFae5rEKfjueO9FhWcFdG2kDBng9ZPETpBB9o2KfeEMP9pTzKn_P18Ztp8Ypis_VSzVOepT7HGGHZ5xg/reflectie-doos-klein.jpg" style="WIDTH: 550px; CURSOR: hand" /></a><br /></div><div align="left"><br />A singular frame envelopes the house, thus allowing for maximum transparency. The central area where all wings meet is the heart of the house. It is a large space that serves as entrance hall, dining room, bar and music-room. The Y plan stretches the house into the site and provides large panoramic views on the surrounding scenery. On the South and East sides, two large covered decks create sun shading in the summer and smooth the transition from outside to inside. In the basement the Y plan creates a clear division between the private quarters for the guests (with private entry through the patio), the garage and the master bedroom.</div><div align="left"> </div><div align="center"><a href="http://public.bay.livefilestore.com/y1pMA6ov6G7RcQrK9qfV2MblS6Flg3BMrWPMFUrXMiJ-l3uKfoD15EUu7kh4Jbsj82AtHLyCtuZOW6pfCtmXVGg1w/spiegeldoos-klein.jpg" target="_blank"><img alt="Villa 1, Powerhouse Company" border="0" src="http://public.bay.livefilestore.com/y1pMA6ov6G7RcQrK9qfV2MblS6Flg3BMrWPMFUrXMiJ-l3uKfoD15EUu7kh4Jbsj82AtHLyCtuZOW6pfCtmXVGg1w/spiegeldoos-klein.jpg" style="WIDTH: 550px; CURSOR: hand" /></a><br /><br /><a href="http://public.bay.livefilestore.com/y1pRDF6vn1MCU_oQ8vByekN3XhVE6unsC57qPpYIOQXgrqF-fbaiY6xFrUqkXWhdq5Op7I2n_D6sakbHyDYLkTgTg/spiegeldriehoek-1-klein.jpg" target="_blank"><img alt="Villa 1, Powerhouse Company" border="0" src="http://public.bay.livefilestore.com/y1pRDF6vn1MCU_oQ8vByekN3XhVE6unsC57qPpYIOQXgrqF-fbaiY6xFrUqkXWhdq5Op7I2n_D6sakbHyDYLkTgTg/spiegeldriehoek-1-klein.jpg" style="WIDTH: 550px; CURSOR: hand" /></a><br /></div><div align="left"><br /><strong>To each according to his needs<br /></strong><br />Every room on the ground floor can enjoy open views onto the landscape thanks to the wide transparent facade contained within the frame. Each wing is spatially organized in a sort of centrifugal manner. All mass is concentrated in a central core: a piece of furniture that contains all services and structural elements and that simultaneously creates different rooms within the entirely glazed space.<br />These large pieces of furniture allow for a free flowing distribution of functions without creating closed off rooms. It is thus possible to enjoy a pleasant stroll longer than 150 m through a variety of rooms immersed in the landscape. </div><div align="left"> </div><div align="center"><a href="http://public.bay.livefilestore.com/y1pF6h5XWBZhTyzDY1ik83XvS7VuCbUBYSnUYo0dwtVEzthy9f4RNoh4HAKOwawODnMR9upsN_snDA_4BYpIBmXNw/van-voren-klein.jpg" target="_blank"><img alt="Villa 1, Powerhouse Company" border="0" src="http://public.bay.livefilestore.com/y1pF6h5XWBZhTyzDY1ik83XvS7VuCbUBYSnUYo0dwtVEzthy9f4RNoh4HAKOwawODnMR9upsN_snDA_4BYpIBmXNw/van-voren-klein.jpg" style="WIDTH: 550px; CURSOR: hand" /></a><br /><br /><a href="http://public.bay.livefilestore.com/y1p3G5t4ijWhDYa9oX4E36dHirMv3FOvQCnZZd0nh5tvuqgc0VL3tkqDffPhkNhX6YMgzZd3hmklgIW9xwwj7qavg/duo-penotie-klein.jpg" target="_blank"><img alt="Villa 1, Powerhouse Company" border="0" src="http://public.bay.livefilestore.com/y1p3G5t4ijWhDYa9oX4E36dHirMv3FOvQCnZZd0nh5tvuqgc0VL3tkqDffPhkNhX6YMgzZd3hmklgIW9xwwj7qavg/duo-penotie-klein.jpg" style="WIDTH: 550px; CURSOR: hand" /></a> </div><div align="left"><br />Counteracting the extreme openness of the ground floor, the basement level shelters the most intimate rooms of the house and takes on opposite spatial qualities, emphasized by the brutal and protective feeling of mass. Here, the scarcity of daylight is complemented by a richness in spatial effects. The rooms are carved out in the mass, creating vaulted ceilings and thick walls as a paradoxical result of the lightness of the vertical structure above ground. In the basement the heavy architecture retrieves the primordial qualities of Roman architecture.</div><div align="center"><br /><a href="http://public.bay.livefilestore.com/y1p332thE-gzF-JyZPBWj9lLmvVZapYL8Xqpvv_Cq5Oh5mqEjHlx2z1YGJQaNLK34uKELEhAV5V0zyUrPtCDVlZ6A/ferari-garage-klein.jpg" target="_blank"><img alt="Villa 1, Powerhouse Company" border="0" src="http://public.bay.livefilestore.com/y1p332thE-gzF-JyZPBWj9lLmvVZapYL8Xqpvv_Cq5Oh5mqEjHlx2z1YGJQaNLK34uKELEhAV5V0zyUrPtCDVlZ6A/ferari-garage-klein.jpg" style="WIDTH: 550px; CURSOR: hand" /></a><br /><br /><a href="http://public.bay.livefilestore.com/y1pg6TUB1iQhm220BcftuEseQi50dUBcaFjXsZxHcPZRF_9Rh0PYfHvpOv1_vJlKGdxSmLUTCP5mGlt6m80RPdZxA/hout-blok-klein.jpg" target="_blank"><img alt="Villa 1, Powerhouse Company" border="0" src="http://public.bay.livefilestore.com/y1pg6TUB1iQhm220BcftuEseQi50dUBcaFjXsZxHcPZRF_9Rh0PYfHvpOv1_vJlKGdxSmLUTCP5mGlt6m80RPdZxA/hout-blok-klein.jpg" style="WIDTH: 550px; CURSOR: hand" /></a><br /></div><div align="left"><br /><strong>Three<br /></strong>The three furniture pieces on the ground floor are distinctively different in their design, materials, feel and smell. We used wood to the North, slate to the East and concrete to the South.<br />In the North wing an American nut-wood furniture piece ‘swallows’ a staircase, cupboards, a bed and a small bathroom. The curves of its outer shape create the entrance, a small and a large study and an acoustically sound piano-room.</div><div align="center"><br /><a href="http://public.bay.livefilestore.com/y1pXvSQvl-tg9ILZn5JntygRWZRqy92NRCjXo2fgPj6lPdBLlTNQAVhCyOJgp8qRTnwqxr7_v7HmuQCZ_Iz6p22fg/kelder-1-in-bewerking-klein.jpg" target="_blank"><img alt="Villa 1, Powerhouse Company" border="0" src="http://public.bay.livefilestore.com/y1pXvSQvl-tg9ILZn5JntygRWZRqy92NRCjXo2fgPj6lPdBLlTNQAVhCyOJgp8qRTnwqxr7_v7HmuQCZ_Iz6p22fg/kelder-1-in-bewerking-klein.jpg" style="WIDTH: 550px; CURSOR: hand" /></a><br /><br /><a href="http://public.bay.livefilestore.com/y1p28vpYQjzsbPpYVgl-p-6kbHccAVG7d8Aj3khBWhDxUzxpGnFzvMLxoycUxMjJM9U4ar6vZBVYueqVKUxDrL5NQ/leeg-huis-1-klein.jpg" target="_blank"><img alt="Villa 1, Powerhouse Company" border="0" src="http://public.bay.livefilestore.com/y1p28vpYQjzsbPpYVgl-p-6kbHccAVG7d8Aj3khBWhDxUzxpGnFzvMLxoycUxMjJM9U4ar6vZBVYueqVKUxDrL5NQ/leeg-huis-1-klein.jpg" style="WIDTH: 550px; CURSOR: hand" /></a><br /></div><div align="left"><br />The kitchen is the second piece of furniture. It is entirely made of Norwegian slate and incorporates all kitchen appliances and storage, a toilet and a bar. It is as solid as a rock, yet gentle in its use – a sort of primordial sophistication.<br /><br />The third furniture piece consists of two concrete walls that incorporate a fire place, storage and video projector. This element opens up to create a patio bordered by a living room, garden room and atelier. </div><div align="center"><br /><a href="http://public.bay.livefilestore.com/y1pKzTI-riohMiu6sEVuhv1CI3IDki8Ws-jXDuOnrMs6Zz8tDWBGv0RZH4nQXFShnzAWU3B_M56e8b-VUUtlhvv4A/nacht-spiegel-klein.jpg" target="_blank"><img alt="Villa 1, Powerhouse Company" border="0" src="http://public.bay.livefilestore.com/y1pKzTI-riohMiu6sEVuhv1CI3IDki8Ws-jXDuOnrMs6Zz8tDWBGv0RZH4nQXFShnzAWU3B_M56e8b-VUUtlhvv4A/nacht-spiegel-klein.jpg" style="WIDTH: 550px; CURSOR: hand" /></a> </div><div align="left"><br /><strong>Miessian Gimp</strong><br /><br />The glass facade is suspended between window frames hidden in the ceiling and floor. There is no vertical structure, only silicone joints to hold the glass. The only large opening is a huge green marble sliding wall (a sort of mobilized Mies wall) which opens the intimacy of the living room onto the terrace. Although made of marble, the sliding wall is very light as it is mounted on honeycomb aluminum plates (a Chinese invention called stone-veneer now produced in Texas, USA, with predominantly Middle East stones). The marble sliding wall wraps around a cross-shaped column clad with a black rubber skin: this is what we called the “Miessian Gimp”.</div><div align="center"><br /><a href="http://public.bay.livefilestore.com/y1pJfcBFifRjpBJNqsKxZ_SiXh6OVvABpNnPpd14H_eiG84D-KdgcdObaxVhRZWkXbPlsOKxsXuvyl3_FPKkgvvSQ/nacht-terras-2-test.jpg" target="_blank"><img alt="Villa 1, Powerhouse Company" border="0" src="http://public.bay.livefilestore.com/y1pJfcBFifRjpBJNqsKxZ_SiXh6OVvABpNnPpd14H_eiG84D-KdgcdObaxVhRZWkXbPlsOKxsXuvyl3_FPKkgvvSQ/nacht-terras-2-test.jpg" style="WIDTH: 550px; CURSOR: hand" /></a><br /></div><div align="left"><br /><strong>Technique</strong><br /><br />Structurally the house is a stack of different industrial building techniques. The basement is cast in concrete. The roof, with extreme cantilevers, is a complex steel structure designed by the audacious structural engineer Gilbert van der Lee. The bookshelf in the North wing is made entirely of solid steel plates and functions as a structural Vierendeel frame stabilizing the structure of the roof.</div><div align="center"><a href="http://public.bay.livefilestore.com/y1pJc5OPblzai5-YP9GQhQj-hriOWBmaJjpsaWKtbwklwuHKZeohf4h2DmwE2beNzu1CYwlyJEEAiv6clCQQb2-oA/open-haard-leeg-klein.jpg" target="_blank"><img alt="Villa 1, Powerhouse Company" border="0" src="http://public.bay.livefilestore.com/y1pJc5OPblzai5-YP9GQhQj-hriOWBmaJjpsaWKtbwklwuHKZeohf4h2DmwE2beNzu1CYwlyJEEAiv6clCQQb2-oA/open-haard-leeg-klein.jpg" style="WIDTH: 550px; CURSOR: hand" /></a><br /></div><div align="left"><strong>Root </strong><br /><br />As a result of its Y shape and architectural dichotomy, the villa provides a wide array of extreme spatial qualities, going from narrow, dark, vaulted corridors to wide-open, transparent garden rooms. The result is a landscape of different spatial perceptions that goes beyond the mere pragmatic diagram of functionality. This house is the result of an involuntary yet conscious choice to radically change a way of living. It is a house for the new life of a man and his new partner. A house that can provide him with a new place to live in, after losing his beloved one with whom he had lived thirty years in an old farmhouse bought in the seventies and which they had remodeled 8 times to fit their changing needs. This house had to be something radically new for him. It had to offer a new balance to a disturbed life. It had to provide a new anchor point. It is a house designed for a family to be re-rooted.</div><div align="center"><br /><a href="http://public.bay.livefilestore.com/y1pnBSWxnguRBYUIZFRootF63PNvRil8hEP9Oq80A84NJNirpHKLWGC0P2OTC5YHSoClyZ7fUvVZLZqwacxwGLh6w/rond-hout-1-klein.jpg" target="_blank"><img alt="Villa 1, Powerhouse Company" border="0" src="http://public.bay.livefilestore.com/y1pnBSWxnguRBYUIZFRootF63PNvRil8hEP9Oq80A84NJNirpHKLWGC0P2OTC5YHSoClyZ7fUvVZLZqwacxwGLh6w/rond-hout-1-klein.jpg" style="WIDTH: 550px; CURSOR: hand" /></a><br /></div><div align="left">Architects: Powerhouse Company<br />Location: Netherlands<br />Partner in Charge: Nanne de Ru<br />Project Team: Nanne de Ru, Charles Bessard, Alexander Sverdlov, Nolly Vos, Wouter Hermanns, Anne Luetkenhues, Bjørn Andreassen, Joe Matthiessen<br />Project Team: Nanne de Ru, Charles Bessard, Anne Luetkenhues<br />Project year: 2005 – 2008<br />Structural Engineer: BREED ID, Gilbert van der Lee<br />Contractor: Valleibouw BV Veenendaal<br />Lighting: LS2 and BEDA electro<br />Photographs: Powerhouse Company </div><div align="center"><br /><br /><a href="http://public.bay.livefilestore.com/y1pm40ltngIoOSXQHBUPUoLtAYeYlj-ZV1UfrmBStg4ZBhB_oFLpsJo6hGq7mpf72C9oI_E3fHrXXTx3CGe-NYiAQ/concept-diagrams-copy.jpg" target="_blank"><img alt="Villa 1, Powerhouse Company" border="0" src="http://public.bay.livefilestore.com/y1pm40ltngIoOSXQHBUPUoLtAYeYlj-ZV1UfrmBStg4ZBhB_oFLpsJo6hGq7mpf72C9oI_E3fHrXXTx3CGe-NYiAQ/concept-diagrams-copy.jpg" style="WIDTH: 550px; CURSOR: hand" /></a><br /><br /><a href="http://public.bay.livefilestore.com/y1pz6qXQHQIyWVGy350SEAgFp26lqyNcJrePm9EsEDqcSMEc5GgBtiSeVGXBM5YbAIwjZFqdCSPaDd7UFvIjj1JRg/simple-diagrammatic-plan-ground-floor.jpg" target="_blank"><img alt="Villa 1, Powerhouse Company" border="0" src="http://public.bay.livefilestore.com/y1pz6qXQHQIyWVGy350SEAgFp26lqyNcJrePm9EsEDqcSMEc5GgBtiSeVGXBM5YbAIwjZFqdCSPaDd7UFvIjj1JRg/simple-diagrammatic-plan-ground-floor.jpg" style="WIDTH: 550px; CURSOR: hand" /></a><br /><br /><a href="http://public.bay.livefilestore.com/y1pCV3yS76yIMOwIYY_8o1xcG6esg83O-UlP6c4Y8-vWytJ4KcMZN8jPykNNpfVsoPiTBBMY4gdz94VResgjLxI0w/simple-diagrammatic-plans-basement-lores.jpg" target="_blank"><img alt="Villa 1, Powerhouse Company" border="0" src="http://public.bay.livefilestore.com/y1pCV3yS76yIMOwIYY_8o1xcG6esg83O-UlP6c4Y8-vWytJ4KcMZN8jPykNNpfVsoPiTBBMY4gdz94VResgjLxI0w/simple-diagrammatic-plans-basement-lores.jpg" style="WIDTH: 550px; CURSOR: hand" /></a><br /><br /><a href="http://public.bay.livefilestore.com/y1pPf9hUUo2-s2scSFAiyfWfH8o1HEkZnQ8e8RDVO1SVxGCvaSFnN5u5FexZn2--2mOCF5Zvpp6J_UbfvEJjNA4Kw/site-plan-lorez.jpg" target="_blank"><img alt="Villa 1, Powerhouse Company" border="0" src="http://public.bay.livefilestore.com/y1pPf9hUUo2-s2scSFAiyfWfH8o1HEkZnQ8e8RDVO1SVxGCvaSFnN5u5FexZn2--2mOCF5Zvpp6J_UbfvEJjNA4Kw/site-plan-lorez.jpg" style="WIDTH: 550px; CURSOR: hand" /></a><br /><br /><a href="http://public.bay.livefilestore.com/y1pCLPz2US2i7RBTmZVRUmsk-kbgUHQzoGF20HbXoedwN0BDghILkqO8kHNaCaRw4Xyc2Tgw6p3WwpxyHMWcTvmiA/villa-1-axonometric-lores.jpg" target="_blank"><img alt="Villa 1, Powerhouse Company" border="0" src="http://public.bay.livefilestore.com/y1pCLPz2US2i7RBTmZVRUmsk-kbgUHQzoGF20HbXoedwN0BDghILkqO8kHNaCaRw4Xyc2Tgw6p3WwpxyHMWcTvmiA/villa-1-axonometric-lores.jpg" style="WIDTH: 550px; CURSOR: hand" /></a></div>

Villa 1 - Powerhouse Company

One Villa 1 was the first villa commissioned to Powerhouse Company since its founding in May 2005. In order to mark the site a golden “1″ wa...

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