Projects

LA CHIMBA

Green Urbanism in the Desert: A social housing association that will benefit thousands of residents

Puri Global is a research project led by ARCH+HR and ARGES, in partnership with Echeverría & Izquierdo, IVL Sweden, among others. Together we do a pilot research project in La Chimba consisting in recycling the grey water of 270 new apartments. The goal is to bring greenery into desert cities, enhancing the quality of life through the reuse of water from social housing. But the most important, we are trying that this experience becomes a public policy for all the future housing and buildings.

We separate grey and black water to reuse the grey water, irrigating an internal green environment, as well as a public external park that will benefit more than 10,000 people. Water is generated within the housing complexes where a stimulating, healthy, and green outdoor environment is needed. This serves as a model to be replicated throughout the city, redefining the use of the environment through recycled water.

Pilot 1 Iniciative of the international Sumate BHP 2020 to improve environment

PURI-Sierra Gorda: An artifitial Oasis in Atacama Desert

Sierra Gorda is a miner city surrounded by three big cooper companies in the middle of Atacama Desert. These mine companies give to the population a better material life conditions quite over the Chilean average but, on the other hand, the inhabitants live in extreme environmental conditions.

Puri-Sierra Gorda is a project of applied research which uses 100% of the sewage water and 100% of the organic garbage of the village to create a Green Ring around the city with different species of trees and bushes in order to mitigate the dust that bring the wind of the desert, and reduce 10% of the CO2 print of the citizens. In this way we improve the quality of life of the citizen and materialize the dream of the population: a greener village, more protective, and healthier

Through this pilot experience we expect to contribute to the Chilean public policies and inspire other countries to follow this experience.

ARCH+H.R. & AEiDH / IVL Sweden / SC Denmark / ARGES Chile / CG water engineering Chile / Oazi Eco-Landscape Chile / Ogalde lawyers Chile / plus University of Chile, University of North of Chile, and UNISS Italy. 2022-2023

Ukraine Reconstruction: Wooden prefabricated Housing

9 PROJECTS about the reconstruction of Ukraine and support to the EU countries which recive Ukrainian refugees, Poland, Rumania. The projects give a chance to develop part of the cities in these countries thorugh the input of the emergency, but always thinking what we will give to the local residents? How we can improve the life conditions of locals and new comers? How we can a better integration process among these groups? Architecture has a responsability and a duty.

Projects of Master in Architecture UNISS, Italy together to the professor Josep Mias from Barcellona, and ARCH+H.R.

Alghero, Sardinia 2022-2023

MSTC in Sao Paulo: A model for social equality, Brazil

‘SO MANY HOMES WITHOUT PEOPLE, SO MANY PEOPLE WITHOUT HOME’ (1)

Sao Paulo has around 300.000 people without house and -at the same time- more than 100 huge empty buildings only in the centre of the city. Architecture & Human Rights (ARCH+HR), Escola da Cidade, and the Movement of People Without Roof (MSTC), among other organizations, created a model to give formal residences to the people who occupied informally these empty buildings in the same occupied buildings.
Hotel Cambridge -a former five stars Hotel from the middle of 20 century- was occupied by 500 people from the movement MSTC during several years. Today 125 families received a house in this ex hotel with a new model of social economic organization where everyone get benefits: people get a home, private owners receive a stable income, social banks -which borrowed the funds for the construction- receive the money back in a fair trade, the commune avoids housing construction for thousands of people, universities and architecture studios get knowledge, experience, and all of them contribute with social responsability.

We expected that this model could be useful in other countries.
‘THOSE WHO AREN’T FIGHTING, ARE DEAD!’ (2)

BRAZIL, Sao Paulo 2022

copyright@ Sebastiao Salgado 2022

images@Andres Lagunas 2020

PURI-GLOBAL Chile

a project of “global bridges” Upcycling Water in Atacama Desert 2020-2024

The Atacama Desert in Chile is the driest desert in the world. Antofagasta is the biggest city in this area, with the lowest rate of Urban Green Spaces (UGS) in Chile: 6 times less than the minimum suggested by World Health Organization (WHO) 9.0m2/Inhabitant. This index directly affects the health condition of the population, from a psychological and physical perspective.

On the other hand, 90% of the Antofagasta´s inhabitants has no or scarce access to the UGS. This phenomenon contributes to the inequality and social unbalance.

In the North of Chile, the main factor to improve UGS is the access to the water.

UWAD is a project in the Atacama Desert, with Scandinavian technology and knowledge, to separate grey and black water and recycling 100% of the grey water that we produce in a house or building. We can recover each day 100L /person to irrigate 10m2 of UGS and reaching the minimum standard of health that WHO asks for.

Partners ARCH+H.R. SC-2030.DK /IVL.SE /ICK.CL/ ARGES.CL / BHP Foundation/ Fundación Chile/Ministry of Housing of Chile /Ministry of Education of Chile/CONAF.CL

AWARD: International competition Sumate BHP 2020

Pudeto School copyright@Geno Munoz 2012

Pudeto School. A wooden experience, Chile

1.040 children of the fisherman neighborhood of Pudeto in the Chilean Patagonia had a school from the 70s in extremely bad construction quality. In 2004 they could not use anymore the metal building totally rusted by the ocean environment.

The main goal of this project is (e)quality; Social Equality and Architecture Quality. We used our method Cultural Architecture to increase in 50% the school square meters with the same public budget. We expended 4 years to convince the government to build the school with WOOD.

The 4.500 m2 shows the local identity and the children can create a feeling of belonging to the school, neighborhood, and their local culture, and also this building will not get rusty by the salt of the Pacific ocean.

Project and Construction 2004-2010. Commune of Ancud, Chilean Ministry of Education, Jorge Lobos+Associate Architects and ARCH+H.R.

AWARD: Finalist 13th Triennale of Sophia INTERACH Bulgaria 2012

MAMV copyright@Cristian Gilchrist 2007

MAMV, Chile

Puerto Montt, Chilean Patagonia 2001-2010

The Archaeological Museum Monte Verde receives in 4.000 m2 the oldest human presence in the American Continent. This scientific discoverment has contributed to complete the human settlement theory of the occupation of the planet.

The extraordinary scientific work found out a small temporary settlement with timber constructions and around of 14.000 years, what is exceptional because of the vulnerable conditions of the timber.

This building in timber receives the most valuable pieces of this ancient culture which developed its cosmovision through the forest wood. This project is a key element to reinforce the local identity, proudness, and the economic development of the region.

Partners; Monte Verde Foundation – Puerto Montt Commune – University Austral – Chilean Ministry of Culture – R + rådgivning ApS Denmark – Jorge Lobos + associate architects and ARCH+H.R.

AWARD: Fondart Chile 2005

Squatters in Sao Paulo, Brazil

Homeless families & empty buildings IN SAO PAULO’S CENTER

In the center of Sao Paulo there are around 100 empty buildings. On the other hand, it is necessary 474,000 new affordable homes to cover the shortfall in the city, according to Sao Paulo City Hall.

The movement People Without Roof MSTC, part of FLM (front of fighting for a house) has been for decades fighting for solutions. However, in front of the absence of public response, they created a policy to occupy the empty buildings.

Escola da Cidade together to ARCH+H.R., UNISS-Sardinia, Master Resilient Spaces plus EPIC-IUAV Venice, have joined forces to find solutions for these families. The projects involve a wide range of professional responses, from Design divisions in the buildings for family units, circular economy, urban plan for empty buildings, co-creation, plus maybe the most important, to motivate new public policies and a new social deal.

Partners: MSTC, Escola da Cidade, IUAV, UNISS, building owners, Sao Paulo Commune, and ARCH+H.R. 2018-2025

Disability, Children, & Nature. Chile, Denmark, Norway

National Park Lahuen Gnadi, South of Chile 2002-2012

40 disabled children each weekend can get their dream of sleeping in a tree house.

We created this project in 2002 together to Monte Verde Foundation, which proposes 3 landscapes in Chile for disable children and the democratization of the access to Nature; Atacama Desert in the North, Andes Mountains in the Center, and the Rain forest in Patagonia in the South.

Partners. CONAF, Foundation Monte Verde, Chilean Ministry of Culture, Jorge Lobos+Associate Architects Ltda, ARCH+H.R. and Ecosistema Urbano-Spain

Garbage City, Cairo, Egypt

The 60.000 Coptic Christians in Cairo recycle the garbage of a city of 15 millions inhabitants. They live from the garbage because they depend economically of the garbage, but also they live IN the garbage because they recycle in the same place that they use to live, the center of Cairo. The project -in one of the hardest urban contexts that we have known- tries to slightly and humbly to improve their work and life conditions creating shadow with the same materials that they recycle: plastic, textiles, and pieces of timber.

Jorge Lobos + associate architects ltd., ARCH+H.R. Workshop 5×5-Chile 2012 KADK, UNISS, FAU-Chile

Elderly House Maullin copyright@Geno Munoz 1997

Elderly-House Maullin, Chile

Maullin, Chile 1996-1997

This elderly house receives 56 old people who lived alone in the countryside and can not continue subsisting in their small farms.

1.000 m2 in middle of the rain forest gives to these elders a new chance to share the last part of their life in a safe environment, warm house, friendship, and kitchen gardens.

Partners; Foundation San Vicente de Paul, Commune of Maullin, and Jorge Lobos AA-Ltda.

AWARD: Finalist XI Chilean Biennal of Architecture 1997

Towers of Bamboo in Dharavi, India

The informal settlement in Dharabi, Mumbai is one of the biggest of the world with more than 1.000.000 people in 2,1 km2. Our project proposal is to relief the high density that they suffer mainly during the evening and nights when most of the people go back to the neighborhood after being trying to get some survival support in the city.

For this reason we build towers of bamboo and textiles just for sleeping and resting during the rough hour of crowdedness. This construction can be self-built for the community and dismantle when it will not be use anymore.

Jorge Lobos + Associate Architects, ARCH+HR workshop 5×5-KADK Denmark 2011, KADK, UNISS

Hotel Nueva Braunau, Patagonia Chile

(E)QUALITY

A hotel in-between the threes in the Chilean Humid Forest. This is a place for therapy, relax, peace, and loneliness. The building is totally sustainable and built with local timber and local carpenters. This is a place for few people.

Chilean Patagonia. 650m2. Structure, walls, roof, floors, external and internal cover with timber.

2018-2021 ARCH+H.R. plus JL+AA Ltda.

Hotel Ensenada, Patagonia Chile

(E)QUALITY

The site is long and narrow, it has an old house. The Hotel liberates the ground level with a slender timber structure, in that way the travelers can see the wonderful landscape of the Chilean Patagonia; lake, mountains and vulcanos.

The building is totally sustainable and built with local timber and local carpenters: 400m2. Structure, walls, roof, floors, external and internal cover by timber.

2016-2018 ARCH+H.R. plus JL+AA ltda

copyright: Jlobos@2011

This is not a home 01, Denmark

Copenhagen has around 3.000 homeless, people who are outside the Welfare State for different reasons. In winter their situation -with temperatures under minus ten degrees- could become a humanitarian emergency. Our project of containers can receive 20 homeless in the six coldest months of the year.

We proposed this project to different organizations of citizens, however the answer was always the same; ‘we like your idea, but please not in my back yard’. Consequentely we found a local Museum, Den Frie, which offer its garden to develop the project due to the Danish Law accepts temporary art work on the public space for half a year, the same amount of months that we needed to safe the homeless in winter season. Then we presented the project as a piece of art to the commune, in order to enter in the Danish law and to avoid the high costs of the demanding construction level in denmark for permanent buildings. We called to this project ´This is not a Home´ paraphrasing Marcel Duchamp quote who said a century ago in New York 1917 “This is not a Toilet” Duchamp changed the art world forever.

Jorge Lobos, ARCH+H.R. Erik Juul E.Architecture.dk, Den Frie Museum, Velux foundation 2010-2011

AWARD: Finalist 13th Triennal of Sophia INTERACH Bulgaria 2012

L´Aquila earthquake 2009, Italy

The earthquake of L´Aquila 5.9 Richter scale (2009) destroyed great part of the city and great part of the historical centers. 11.000 buildings damage. 50.000 people in camps and hotels.

Our project created a fast system to protect the old city from the next earthquakes. A simple classification of damage in three levels and a steel external structure to collaborate with the affected buildings. This system allows to the government to keep the inhabitants in the first level of their homes and to keep the feeling of belonging to atheir own place, on the other hand, this provisory system give time to the government to solve the situation in long terms.

in 2019 -10 years after the earthquake- only 50% of the city was recovered, the historical center suffered the effects of the slow restauration and lost thousand of citizens who hardly will go bak to their former lives.

Jorge Lobos, Ma. Gomez, Peter Duelund, ARCH+H.R. and workshop 5×5-KADK, UNISS 2010

Bench for 100 people in Fertilia, Italy

Fertilia, a small village in Sardinia, founded during the Italian Fascist regime, is a city of Italian immigrants. Today this city has received Saharan and sub-Saharan refugees, they wanted to contribute with the community which embraced them recovering a degraded park and building public facilities as a gift for Fertilia.

Listening to the needs and desires of the community, which expressed their discontent regarding to the lack of public seating, we co-created a sustainable bench made of soil bags. The result was a circular bench of 20 m. diameter and 67 m. perimeter which can receive 100 citizens and foster the sense of community.

Client: Fertilia Municipality. Partners: University of Sassari, UNISS, Jorge Lobos+AA, EAHR, Local community, Vel Marì refugee Center, Africalghero, Theatre En Vol, between others. May 2017. Cost 1.150 euro

“The children nest” Fertilia, Italy

A second project that African refugees offer to Fertilia citizens was a place for children. While we were cleaning the most degraded area of the park, in our co-creative process a Guinean refugee called Mamadu suggested to use an antique African construction technique with the residual branches of the park. He became the construction chief, he led the community and all of us put under his orders in the creation of a sustainable traditional African hut. An extremely evocative and inspiring house for the Sardinian kids.

Owner: Fertilia Municipality. Partner: University of Sassari UNISS, Jorge Lobos + AA, EAHR, Local community, Vel Marì refugee Center, Africalghero, Theatre En Vol, between others. May 2017. Cost 15 euro

Picture Workshop 5×5 Riga 2014 image T. Kalantajeska

RIGA MICRORAYON, LATVIA: From Socialism to Capitalism

During the 90s the political system changed in the ex Socialist Soviet Republics. Some countries as Latvia decided to pass directly from Socialism to a radical Capitalism, that decision meant lot of frictions and crisis in the urban scene. The Microrayon, a public system of social housing from one day to another belonged to the former owners of the land. In consequence, we started to have socialist buildings on a private ground.

Our project is to reverse that paradigm proposing to back the land to the state and companse the private owners with m2 of constructiuon, in other words ‘Private buildings on a Public land’.

2012-2016 The Riga Techn

Rehabilitation of emergency houses post-1960 earthquake, Chile

Valdivia earthquake in 1960 has been the hardest one that register the modern seismography; 9.5 Richter scale. The Chilean government built 75 houses of 6×6 m. for the emergency in a small city Ancud, however they became permanent and without maintenance until 2004 when we recovered them with the cooperation program of Andalucia, Spain, and the community co-working adapting all the houses to the modern life of 21 Century.

Cooperation program: Junta de Andalucia Spain, Municipality of Ancud, University of Chile, Manuel Ulloa, Lina Llorente, Jorge Lobos + associate architects, ARCH+H.R.

House in the Forest, Chile

(E)quality Chilean Patagonia 2003-2004

A wooden house of 350m2 in the Chilean Patagonia with our method of democratization of the design process. In this case the family agreed to divide in three sub-groups; child 1, child 2, and parents. Each of them co-designed their bedrooms as an independent object floating inside the main space of the house. The house acts as a timber container was receive the subspaces floating inside of the main space. The timber structure in diagonal is because the earthquakes in Chile and the Andes Mountains.

Jorge Lobos + Cristian Gilchrist and ARCH+H.R. Chile 2011-2012

Bartulin@copyright 2012

House in the Forest, Chile

(E)quality Chilean Patagonia 2021 – 2023

A wooden house of 140m2 in the Chilean Patagonia with a sustainable approach. This family consists of only two persons, who divided the house in two levels; the first one is the social space and guest room, the second one is the couple private place. 

The house is a timber container with a reinforced diagonal structure because of the earthquakes and the need to have a huge glass surface towards the beautiful Patagonia landscape.

Jorge Lobos + Cristian Gilchrist, Camila Viancos, Yeziel Lazo, and ARCH+H.R. Chile 2021-2023

Arrayanes House, Chile

(E)quality Chiloe, Chile 2002-2003

A wooden house of 330m2 in the Chilean Patagonia with our method of democratization of the design process. In this case the family agreed to divide in three sub-groups; the children, the guests, and the parents. Each of them co-designed their spaces as an independent object without contact to the other parts of the family. Once that the three sub-constructions were ready, we join the family and decide the position of them in the site. A condition for this project was to build with ‘arrayanes’ the main tree in the forest side to the house, we use those trees with all the branches, curves, and imperfections that made a more organic integrated connection between the house and the forest.

Jorge Lobos + associated architects; Cristian Gilchrist and ARCH+H.R. Chile 2002-2003

AWARD: Finalist IV Biennale Iberoamerican Lima Peru

Geno munoz@2003

Geno munoz@2004

Chamiza House 01, Chile

(E)quality Chilean Patagonia 2003-2004

A wooden house of 380m2 in the Chilean Patagonia with our method of democratization of the design process. In this case the family agreed to divide in four sub-groups; a playground for children, Greenhouse for the mother, Library for the father and dinner-room for everyone.

Each of these subgroups co-designed their spaces as an independent object without contact to the other parts of the family. Once that the four sub-constructions were ready, we joined the family and decided the position of them in the site, all of them over a cement platform semi buried on the hill which received the common spaces and bedrooms.

Jorge Lobos + associated architects; Cristian Gilchrist and ARCH+H.R. Chile 2003-2004

Image Jose Luis Vallejo, Madrid 2001

72 Social Housing in La Havana, Cuba

2000 Old Havana, Cuba

In this project we applied for first time our methodology of Democratization of the Design Process with Cultural Codes. Each building has 24 HOUSING and each family used a graphic system created by our studio to show us how they wanted their home.

Our architectural work was a kind of cultural mediator, and technical responsible of structure and infrastructure of the 9.200 m2 of building.

Housing Ministry of Cuba, Office of the history La Habana, Ecosistema Urbano Spain, Jorge Lobos + associate architects Ltda.

AWARD: 1st International Competition of Architecture of La Havana 2000

200 Social Housing in Barakaldo Bilbao, Spain

2001, Brakaldo, Spain

In this project we applied for Second time our methodology of Democratization of the Design Process with Cultural Codes. The conditions of the competition were to build 200 apartments in two towers of 24.000m2 side to the Nervion River.

However, our cultural approach never saw skyscrapers as an option, then naturally we moved to build 200 INDIVIDUAL HOUSING of two and three levels spreaded on the Nervion River and floating like boats, in a small horizontal scale.

Our Studio created a graphic system of coordinates like in a navigation map to facilitate that each family used that model to show us where inside of the ‘water’ site they wanted their home, plus a system of ‘cultural home places’ to decide how each family want their home.

In this project we extended the social participation from the design process of the house until the decision of the plot location inside the floating area.

Just after all these decisions we build the communication timber platform paths which must be totally adequated to the family houing locations.

Europan 2001, Bilbao Commune, Department of Social Housing, Ecosistema Urbano Spain and Jorge Lobos + associate architects Ltda.

AWARD: EUROPAN VI 2001

Small Light squares at the evening, Maipu Chile

Maipu, Santiago de Chile 2002

One of the many troubles of the community in the Santiago neighborhoods is the thieves which operate in the evening when the natural light go down and the public light still does not switch on or is broken down.

We create the project ‘small squares of light’ using the existing public lamps. This action consists in a metal and colorful acrilic screen which has the goal to protect the public light from being breakdown at the same time that the acrylic in colors create a new space for kids on the public space. We built three of these squares in Chile with a cost of 100USD each square.

Jorge Lobos + associate architects 2002, FAU-U de Chile Fernando Dowling, Rodrigo Toro, and workshop Jorge Lobos. Acrilic of colors and iron net

AWARD: Fondart Chile 2003. AWARD: Finalist XIV Biennale of Chile 2004

Iris Low-Cost Housing, Chile

(E)quality Puerto Montt, Chilean Patagonia 2000-2012

25 low cost housing in timber from 35 to 45 m2 to 350 USD/m2 an affordable house in 12.000 – 15.000 USD.

Chile has a private policy to solve the problem of lack of housing. This was an experience inside of the rules that Chile defined in the 80s. We experimented to do a group of housing using a cultural approach, local technology, local materials, and low cost in order to give the chance of affordable housing in the South of Chile for young families.

In this project the design begins to be a social value, each house is different according to the needs of the users, but at the same time the families has some collective facilities. The construction of these collective approach of social housing is in a degraded urban area.

In this project the values of the architecture contributes to improve the zone of a harbor city, and the life of 25 young families of low income.

Jorge Lobos + associate architects. Structure timber, foundation cement concrete, roof flat steel, windows and doors with double glass.

Lead Pollution in Montevideo, Uruguay

In 2000, the Industrial area of Paso Molino in Montevideo, Uruguay, had a high level of lead pollution. The Scientifics registered between 200 to 1300 lead mg/kg of soil in the residential area of Paso Molino, however the limit accepted by the medicine for living conditions is 100 mg/kg, this pollution where directly to the blood of the people. These contamination phenomenon produced a high level of illness in the inhabitants, specially children of Paso Molino, 6 times more than in other areas of the same city, Montevideo.

We were invited in 2004 by the University of La Republica and the Government of Montevideo to find solutions for another urban problem, a crowed train station area, however we found out that this topic was not so urgent as the lead pollution. Therefore our project was to plant and cultivate Geranios, a plant which is able to clean the soil. We created green houses, gardens, and a flower market, that gave a chance of job for many inhabitants who where unemployed after the economic crisis of the 90s when several industries of this zone broke down.

UdelaR, Government of Montevideo, FAU Chile, Jorge Lobos + AA & ARCH+H.R., Montevideo Uruguay 2004

Fabiola Narvaez@2005

Chamiza House 02, Chile

(E)quality. This house of 95m2 is a timber container in the Chilean Patagonia. The house is in the edge of a hill watching the Andes mountains, vulcanos, and the Pacific ocean.

The owner is a single young professional woman, who works in a modern and demanding life style, however she wanted to balance that work situation with a life in harmony with the natural environment. The material of the house -wood- contribute to this cozy feeling of harmony and belonging to the earth.

Jorge Lobos + associated architects; Cristian Gilchrist, Carlos Lobos, and ARCH+H.R. Chile 2003-2004

Eduardo Feuerhake@copyright 2011

Maniquenique School, Mozambique

The school of Maniquenique is an educational facility and a survival platform for the time of floods. Using the experience of other communities around the world, the building rest in cement concrete pillars of 1.5m over the ground.

This school receive 100 children, and can support the community with water, toilets, and a safe space in times of emergency for several days. To increase the gap of time that the community can survive is key to improve the options of the government to come with support to the rural areas.

UN-Habitat Mozambique, University of Chile, Main architect Fernando Ferreiro, Eduardo Feuerhake, teacher and adviser Jorge Lobos + AA, ARCH+H.R. 2003-2005

Cultural Center Gabriela Mistral, Chile

Santiago de Chile 2007-2008

The building UNCTAD III by Miguel Lawner and others under the government of Salvador Allende (1970-1973) is the best building to show the history of Chile of the last 50 years. A socialist Cultural Center for the people, which became in the headquarter of the dictatorship (1973-1990) and an abandoned building in the transition to the democracy (1990-2010). The competition was give a new life to this symbolic building of the history of Chile.

We propose the biggest public cover square in Chile 5.000 m2, using the existing roof of 5.000 m2 from the original building. A celebration of the Democracy and the people participation.

Partners: Ministry of Culture, Ministry of Public Work of Chile, Association of Architects of Chile, Jorge Lobos + Associate Architects, Rodrigo Toro, Francisca Armstrong, Paula Montero, Rafael Pino 2007-2008

AWARD: Finalist International Competition Cultural Center Gabriela Mistral 2007

MME Madrid, Spain

The Meteorologic Museum in Madrid. 2001-2004

The project recovered an abandoned building in the center of Madrid, Retiro Park. The building was part of the symbolic transition during the 19 Century and 20 Century from a construction used for the entertainment of the monarchy toward a building for the folk; in this case a center of Meteorological Sciences.

The proposal has 500 m2 of color glass on the existing roof and recovering old bricks in the rest of the building. The location of this construction is in one of the most cosmopolitan sites of Madrid, where immigrants, tourists, and locals share a green area and knowledge of the nature.

Partners; Ecosistema Urbano, Spanish Institute of Meteorological Sciences, and Jorge Lobos + AA & ARCH+H.R.

MME Spain, picture Jose Luis Vallejo

Restoration Nercón Church, Chile

Chiloe Archipelago, South of Chile 1996

The Project considers a traditional restoration for a wooden church, which became in 2000 part of the 16 wooden churches of Chiloe WORLD HERITAGE by UNESCO.

Our proposition creates a new public space which did not exist before in the traditional churches, a place in-between the timber roof and the ceiling of the building, in that area we constructed a corridor where the persons can see how the church was built and touching the ancient pieces of timber, it is a kind of journey to the inner structure of a wooden body

Lobos J. Berg L. Montecinos H. Amenabar, Foundation of restoration of Wooden Churches of Chiloe, Spanish Cooperation, Chilean Government.

AWARD: Finalist XI Chilean Biennal of Architecture 1997

Barn-House, Chile

South of Chile 1990

This was one of the first projects which used sustainable systems in the South of Chile and pioner in the world.

The whole house is a native wooden structure of 150 m2 in the rural area of Chiloe archipelago without any net or connection to the public systems. For that reason we searched a solar panels from Canada to give the necessary energy to the house: water and electricty. Surprinsigly on those years and that geographical position -42 degrees South latitud- we needed only 1m2 of solar panels to give electricty of 12v to 8 lights centers, enough to cover the basic needs of the family. This solar panels also fed a small engine to impulse drinkable water from a well to 200 meters away of the house and 10 meters deep, this water come up to a tower of 14 meter high side to the house. A project which is a mix between traditional architecture and modern basic technology

Jorge Lobos + architects associate ltda.

GenoMunoz@1990

Chapel In Ancud copyright@LineKjær 2019

Church in Ancud, Chile

Chiloe archipelago in the Chilean Patagonia, 1990-1991

Chiloé has a great tradition in wooden architecture where the high cultural expresion is reached in the wooden churches, 16 of them declared World Heritage by UNESCO.

For that reason our proposition was to follow the local tradition, the proportions, typology, and symbolism of a building which is more than a church, is the center of the community life. This building was totally financed by the local community through their work and donations of money and time.

Place. Ancud, Chiloé. Owner Community San Vicente de Paul. Architect: Jorge Lobos + Associate Architects. 1990-1992. Self-built by the community. Cost 120US/m2. Area 240m2. Materials: Structure, external and internal cover Wood. Floor sand and stones. Roof iron sheet and acrylic.

AWARD: X Biennale of Architecture Chile 1995

House for Girls & Disability, Chile

In Chiloe archipelago was only one school for disable children which need special care. The kids come from different islands and they must stay the whole year in the city, however the boarding school was just for boys.

A private social foundation San Vicente de Paul decided to build a boarding school for 48 girls to give them the same opportunities that the boys. The community was fully involved in this project which became a symbol of social fighting for gender equality in these islands during the 80s.

AWARD: Selected in the Chilean representation for the Universal Fair OF Seville 1992 Spain

House For Disable Girls copyright@Geno Munoz 1989

Snake-House, Ancud Chile

A social wooden house of 4x12m in three levels in the center of the city. This was a experience of doing a low cost construction Cost =150US/m2 following the tradition of carpenters in Chiloe Archipelago.

The house does not have walls inside, the different functions are separate by different levels according to the inclination of the plot. This house resume a kind of espontaneous poetry a sort of confidence in the possibilities of the architecture for social purposes, and a young belief that local cultures could create their own destiny.

Chiloé Island, Patagonia Chile. Design and building 1986-1990. square meters 90m2

AWARD: Finalist VII Biennale of Architecture Chile 1989

Snake-house copyright@Geno-Munoz 1994

Fisherman-House, Chile

Social Housing in Patagonia of Chile 1985

95m2, cost 145US/m2, design in 1985 and self-built 1986.

The Chilean militar neoliberal government built, during the 80s, social housing of only 40m2 with the same budget 150USD/m2. The social matter was not their priority. We tried to show that was possible to build much and better with the same budget if we were able to involve the community and local experience and knowledge.

In this case we used the capacity of local carpenters and the knowledge of the house owner, a fisherman who was able to self-built his own home. His wife a teacher in the elementary school was the leader of the process.

The house liberates the ground level following the experience of the construction called ‘palafitos’ which are espontaneous social housing side to the sea from the 18 and 19 Centuries, these palafitos twice per day are on the sea because of the high fluctuation of sea tides. The enormous acumulated knowledge that Chiloe population has in this matter was the base and inspiration for this construction.

This house was sold around 2010, later was abandoned and sadly burnt for some squaters a night of winter in the Patagonia.

Materials: Foundation: wood 20-25cm Ø. Structure local wood 50x100x200mm. External cover and Roof; wood tiles 600x200x15mm in four layers. Internal cover: wood tiles 100x10mm. Floor: wood 100x20mm

Typology; palafito, construction with wood sticks on the water.  

Jorge Lobos + Associate Architects Ltda.

Fisherman House, copyright@Geno Munoz