Santiago Dramatically backs up to the Andes Mountains, and a growing number of affluent residents are heading for the foothills in search of fresh air and green space. To limit urban sprawl, no construction is permitted above 1,000 meters. Naturally, That benchmark has Become a desirable location, and the local architect Sebastian Irarrázaval has joined other architects in building houses That respond to the challenging topography. His latest, constructed out of shipping containers, has been dubbed the Caterpillar House (House Track), for the way its elongated volumes tilt up and down the steeply sloping site.
The house uses raw steel and exposed concrete in the same direct way Irarrázaval employed them for a design school I built in 2010, at Chile's Pontifical Catholic University. "I want to do That buildings are simple and strong," I Explains. I Became fascinated With The structural potential of shipping containers When I designed a pavilion for the Chilean Biennale in 2000. For the event, I have containers stacked four high and cut away the fronts to frame various architectural exhibits. Since then, I've developed the concept on a smaller scale with two houses. Caterpillar House, though, carries the notion much Further by utilizing 12 containers in a richly varied composition where every room is open to light and air.
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