The project consists of two homes for two brothers and their respective families. Both young couples have two children and share the same profession, with one couple being doctors and the other lawyers. The plots, each 30 meters wide and 60 meters deep, are adjacent to each other and relatively flat.
While there are natural similarities between both commissions, there are also differences determined by the lifestyles and personal preferences of each couple. Consequently, each architectural response is tailored to these requirements. Thus, each unit acquires its own identity, while simultaneously sharing the «genetic material» that provides unity to the whole.
The differences manifest in the distribution of the program and materials, as well as in the spatial configuration of the rooms, which establishes distinct hierarchies.
From the exterior, there is a distance from the street, defined by a common space paved with stone cobblestones. A 60-meter-wide concrete wall separates the common space from the private area and establishes a point of access for each home.
Upon crossing the thresholds, there are access courtyards that gradually transition between different levels of privacy for each space. The program is distributed across three levels: one underground and two above grade. Each unit occupies the entire plot, elongating the occupied spaces toward the boundaries, and freeing up spaces in rooms or courtyards with different uses: access courtyard, barbecue patio, pool patio, bedroom patio, etc.
Project: Casa Lavados
Architect: Albert Tidy
Collaborators: Cristóbal Riffo, Sebastián Cruz
Location: Calle El Alfalfal, Lo Barnechea, Santiago, Chile
Area: 415 m² + 388 m²
Structural Engineering: Pedro Bartolomé
Construction: Benjamín Ovalle, Constructora Socovalle
Materiality: Exposed Concrete, Wood, Steel, Glass
Project Year: 2016