The Casa Los Navegantes project involves the expansion and modernization of a residence built in 1963, located in the Pedro de Valdivia Norte neighborhood. This neighborhood is characterized as residential and central, featuring the San Cristóbal hill, along with its vegetation and gardens.
Crucial conditions for the project included the north-south orientation of the house, the shade provided by the hill, the need to increase natural lighting, and maintaining privacy, existing flora, and connection to internal patios.
However, the most important element was the original structure of the house itself, which had a well-defined identity: two parallel wings connected by a hall and organized around a central patio. Instead of demolishing this structure, the project opted to work within its established rules, preserving its organization and form while adding new openings, connections, and relationships with the external environment.
Planned to serve as a permanent home for a family of four, the intervention needed to be flexible enough to accommodate the different phases of family life. On the ground floor, living spaces, services, and the area designated for children were concentrated. The kitchen was integrated with the dining room, and the former master bedroom was adapted to become a children's living room, connecting bedrooms, patios, and the garden.
The upper floor was reserved for the adults' private area. The main architectural action consisted of harmonizing two distinct periods without mixing them. While the masonry represents the original house, a wooden expansion, positioned transversely over the primary wings, stands out as a contemporary addition. This arrangement minimizes the impact of the new structure on solar incidence, views, and patios.
The new roof, inspired by the vaulted forms found in Gaudí's Sagrada Familia Schools, was reinterpreted through a wavy geometry and a wooden structure, defining both the external appearance and the internal atmosphere. The planning and execution of this roof represented one of the greatest technical challenges of the work. A similar challenge occurred with the helical staircase, which was designed to occupy the minimum possible space without obstructing the view of the internal patio, conceived as a sculptural piece encased in glass, ensuring light entry and visual continuity with the garden.
The combination of wood with cellulose insulation allowed for the development of a thermally efficient envelope. Furthermore, trusses removed from the original roofs were reused to make furniture, such as dining tables and shelves, materially reintegrating parts of the old residence.
Landscaping was integrated into the architectural concept. A notably sculptural pittosporum and a spring were maintained to establish a visual link between the patios. The garden, mostly composed of native species, includes a natural pool whose plants aid in water purification, in addition to green roofs that extend the landscape towards the second floor.
In summary, the project did not limit itself to erasing the 1963 house; it explored the potential for transformation starting from what already existed. The coexistence of masonry and wood, of orthogonal and curved geometries, of architecture and vegetation, makes visible the relationship between the past and the present, allowing the dwelling to adapt to new ways of living.
