María House is not merely a dwelling, but rather a proposition.
a proposition for a more sensible, sustainable, and health-conscious way of living.
The project consists of a residential building of approximately 160 square meters, organized on a regular Greek-cross plan. It is composed of five square modules measuring 6 × 6 meters each, arranged into a single elevated storey with a central double-height space.
The volume is supported exclusively by the central module, leaving its four projecting arms in cantilever, thereby clearly articulating the four cardinal orientations. The structural system is conceived as a steel framework founded on sixteen isolated piers anchored to the natural terrain. From these supports, reticulated steel cantilever beams extend in the four directions of the plan. This system carries a lightweight concrete slab, elevated up to 1.5 meters above the sloping ground at its lowest point.
Upon this elevated structural platform, the architectural program is erected using a lightweight wall system composed of sandwich panels made of fibre-cement boards and expanded polystyrene insulation. The entire building envelope is finally clad in a monomaterial skin of vertically arranged thermally treated timber boards (4” × ½”), finished with a black stain.
The spatial program is organized linearly across three of the five modules, accommodating an integrated kitchen with an external service patio, a living-dining area, and a terrace/barbecue space. Above the living area, a library overlooks the space from a mezzanine inserted within the central double-height volume. The two opposite lateral wings house the private quarters: one en-suite bedroom and two additional bedrooms sharing a common bathroom.
The house is conceived within a highly constrained budgetary framework. It is a low-cost dwelling that relies on solar energy and passive environmental strategies, incorporates grey-water recycling systems, and seeks to minimize its ecological footprint by avoiding earthworks and reducing its physical footprint to a minimal, reversible system of ground contact.
María House
Year. 202o
2020 m2
Collaborator: Fernando Contreras
Structural Engineer: Pedro Bartolomé
Location: Litueche, Chile.