An existing 140 m² single-story house in a predominantly residential neighborhood served as the base for the new offices of an advertising agency seeking to expand into a larger workspace and project a renewed corporate identity.
The original structure was built in reinforced concrete, with a continuous slab roof that formerly supported a lightweight gabled roof framed in wood. Over time, this slab had been used as the base for an additional, lightweight second story.
The intervention involved demolishing the second floor while preserving the slab and its cantilevered eaves along the entire perimeter. In its place, an orthogonal metal-framed volume was erected, fully occupying the horizontal surface of the slab. The new upper structure rises in height and clearly distinguishes itself from the ground floor through its volumetry and materiality. While the first level retains its stucco finish, the second is clad in corrugated metal sheeting.
A continuous window opens fully to the north, framing views of San Cristóbal Hill. The height of the parapet in the second floor ensures privacy from the street, from which only the ceilings and the white interiors are visible—offering a stark contrast to the black exterior that unifies the overall form.
Project: DAF Offices
Architect: Albert Tidy
Collaborators: Melissa Ortíz, Sebastián Cruz
Location: Calle Los Misioneros, Providencia, Santiago, Chile
Area: 200 m²
Construction: Jorge Dacaret
Materiality: Steel Structure, Corrugated Metal Cladding
Year of Completion: 2013
Photography: Pablo Casals