Mountaineer’s Refuge Chile, San Esteban Building Project, Cabin Design, Architecture Images

Mountaineer’s Refuge San Esteban

Cabin Development in Chile building design by Gonzalo Iturriaga Arquitectos, South America

2 Jan 2018

Mountaineer’s Refuge, San Esteban

Architects: Gonzalo Iturriaga Arquitectos

Location: San Esteban, V región, Chile

Mountaineer’s Refuge

The design brief was for a small cabin with a roof, kitchen, bathroom and bedroom – the necessities for resuming the mountain trek begun the day before.

The proposal involved building, through planes and angles, a structure that provides an entrance through its folds and exterior views through its cuts. Built around a central core of services, the exterior shape and interior volume are defined by the folds.

At one end of the cabin is the bedroom, along with a storage room for mountaineering equipment. The other end features a sitting area where the nearby mountain draws the eye toward the panoramic view.

The exterior is finished in pine, metal elements and picture windows that perform both structural and volumetric functions.

The cabin rests on piles, making it a self-contained object suspended above the ground. The building is ventilated on all sides; the updraft from the mountain provides airflow through a series of dedicated openings.

This is the point of arrival and departure for the mountaineer’s treks. It is not just a lookout and a shelter, but a special place for contemplation and relaxation. It is a true refuge.

About IA Architects
IA Architects was founded in Santiago de Chile in 2010. The firm’s imagination is fuelled by exploration of the relationships between buildings and landscapes.

Mountaineer’s Refuge in San Esteban – Building Information

Architectural firm: Gonzalo Iturriaga Arquitectos
Lead architect: Gonzalo Iturriaga Atala
Project: Refugio para un montañista (Mountaineer’s refuge)
Year: 2015-16
Location: Comuna de San Esteban, V región, Chile
Surface area: 60 sqm