Huerquehue Refuge
The rock refuge.
We took this commission a couple of years ago because the clients, a couple well read in Bjung Chul Han’s ideas, were eager to have a hut in the woods that would have to meet at least two of requirements; to endure a wildfire (at least partly) and to vanish in the woods.
Fires unfortunately have become more of a concern even in these wet mountain areas, and a rock arrived as a concept to tackle both points.
Rock shelters are found in the Andes from pre-hispanic times, as eerie structures carved in existing cantilevered rocks that provide the simplest of shelters; some roof, completed with a paddock like fence to enclose the usable space at the base with more piled stones whilst finding protection from weather and animals.
This simple yet witty shelters are sporadically used in these days by mountain arrieros cattle drivers during the summer months. In this region the use of volcanic stone is quite common, although a flat horizontal piling is less so.
We thought that adding air gaps among the rock’s uneven cut make a good home for moist and micro plants to re gain their territory, aiming for this new rock to be conquered by nature.
In this area temperature varies considerably from hot summers to snowy winters, yet the driving constant is heavy rains during most of the year.
At 40sqm a small refuge as this holds a single gutter, an expressive and massive one, as a reminder of the main task to tackle. A gutter that’s also the beam that bridges the 10 meter span, for clear views toward sunlight.
The selected location for the house incorporated an oak tree, making it part of the elements in the patio.
A subtle sense of both forest ownership and belonging achieved by overlapping the built and the natural resources. Some are in, some are out.
Inside, a striped wood plank is installed vertically in all surfaces, in a big contrast to the exterior’s cold appearance.
As in other shelters the strict use of space requires for built in furniture, as in a ship where all borders count for a specific use.
The inclined roofs, and the walls extensions arriving to the floor aim to become another piece of the forest, where trees grow from within and a geometric rock weathers, shielding a warm comfortable interior.
