Refugio Urbano
The project is located in a small urban site, 9 meters wide and 16 meters long, in a neighborhood close to the city center. It is a small “urban shelter” with a mixed-use, consisting of working and living.
The proposal aims to the renovation of the existing urban fabric, recovering a residual site from the city. It makes a small contribution to stop the constant expansion of the city, benefits from urban infrastructures and adds value on the built environment.
The project begins with an existing structure that covered the entire site. That structure configures the voids of the proposal, where patios are created.
To optimize the small dimensions of the site, the projects is stacked vertically by organizing the layout in three floors.
The ground floor consists of an open space tensioned between two patios. There, the work space is located, benefiting from cross ventilation and great lighting without direct sunlight. Service spaces, such as kitchen, bathroom and storage area, are located in one of the sides of the site, giving flexibility to the workspace.
The living space is located at the first floor, integrated with the kitchen, dining room and terrace. The bedroom is proposed in a mezzanine that cover one third of the space, with the possibility to grow in the future.
The project is supported by two different building systems. The ground floor is built with traditional materials, using the pre-existing concrete structure and incorporating two reinforced concrete beams that support the upper level, which is developed with a steel structure.
The site’s perimeter is materialized with common ceramic bricks, which are divided in three parts to to optimize it’s layout. It is used to create a 8 m high and 11 cm thick filter wall, that defines the expression of the project, while providing safety and privacy and building a warm atmosphere in the interior.
