Casa Oruga

Set against the backdrop of the Andes Mountains, Casa Oruga (Caterpillar House) nestles deeply into the slope of a new residential area on the outskirts of Santiago, Chile. Home to an art collector and his family, the prefabricated dwelling features second-hand shipping containers: five 12-m-long and six 6-m-long containers accommodate living spaces, and a 12-m-long unit with an open top serves as a swimming pool. The alignment of the containers - by no means random -follows the topographic contours of the 900-m2 project site. Positioned parallel to one another on the rolling hillside, the elongated steel volumes, some separated into smaller sections, seem to pitch and warp in response to the natural terrain. These angular adjustments raise the entrance of the house to street level and create skylights for the children's bedrooms below. Daylight and uninterrupted views of the magnificent landscape break through glazed surfaces on one side of the building to enter the domestic interior.

 Besides ease of construction and the eco-benefits of recycling, Santiago-based architect Sebastián Irarrázaval has provided his clients with a house that requires a minimum of mechanical cooling and little maintenance. The parallel placement of durable steel containers enables air to access both ends of the house and circulate freely inside. Gaps between volumes add to the overall girth of the residence while simultaneously facilitating ventilation. In stark comparison to the rustic, rather makeshift look of the outer shell, the interior of Casa Oruga epitomizes modern living.