Helvetia Refuge / SAA Arquitectura + Territorio

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The architectural plan of the refuge is organized into three areas: the living and dining-kitchen rooms, facing west; and the bedrooms and bathrooms, facing east. As a third element and as an organizing space, the interior circulation that separates both programmatic batteries borders an exterior central void, which not only provides distance between spaces but also allows natural light to permeate all the programs that converge in it. Around its southern axis, and along the entire length of the circulation hallway, a skylight breaks through the level of the roof to reach the angle of the winter northern sunlight.Text description provided by the architects.The commission consisted of a mountain refuge on a wooded terrain in the town ofMalalcahuello, near the Corralco ski center, Araucanía region, southern Chile. Due to the moisture of the terrain, given the snowfall in winter of more than 80 cm in height, the structure was designed starting from a steel floor structure, and from there, the walls and roof were completely made of wood.A terrace corridor runs along the north, west, and south sides of the refuge, connecting the programs and spaces on the exterior and acting as an intermediate space for activities that take place in the western area of the refuge, where it intersects with a walkway that ends in a hot tub.The square roof plan is designed with 4 slopes and a wide zinc covering for proper snow melting control. Externally, the house is clad in vertically installed irregular surface wooden boards to improve water drainage. This decision results in an image that relates to the vertical linearity of the trees present in the location.The general layout was defined based on a first visit to the terrain, in which the spatial properties of the forest and the slope were observed. The refuge proposes a distant relationship with the ground, rising 20 cm from the highest point of its location and balcony over the slope, directing the interior spaces towards the forest and the height of the foliage.