Metamorphosis

Project: Metamorfosis 1, Renovation of a wooden house
Location: Tunquén,Casablanca, Chile
Architects: Renewal ( 2008) José Ulloa Davet, Delphine Ding
Original House (1990): Pedro Salas
Construction Supervision: Danio Ulloa Azocar
Engineering: Teknoingeniería Ltda
Carpenter: Pablo Montoya
Project year: 2007-2008
Photographs: José Ulloa Davet

Dubbed Metamorphosis 1, the house has been renovated as a two-level, single volume unit using the walls of the former construction as its structural frame. The spaces have been reorganized in a helical path, extending both the usable indoor and outdoor living spaces. Along the curving path, two panoramic terraces and an elongated sheltered deck have been added.

The façade itself has been rhythmically clad in 2, 4 and 6 inch wood slats making the house appear almost as a natural extension of the existing landscape – airy and serene, strong yet soft – as if it were always meant to be, aging to perfection. The choice implementation of wood on the outside of the structure also serves to reduce the visual mass of the 2-level house, which at nearly 2,000 sq ft can hardly be considered small. But it’s not just about appearances. Keeping in mind the environmental stress caused by the proximity of the ocean, the wooden skin was consciously designed to aerate and deflect the accumulation of water and moisture in the structural walls.