The building structure is a precast concrete foundation that spans the entire width of the property. The structure's system of walls and ribbed tiles allows large spans to be generated inside without the need for central support. This single quality allows for the multiplicity of types inside the building, making each floor’s interior effectively independent from the one below.
An expanded aluminium veil covers the front and rear façades, providing shade to the north and privacy from the street to the south. Due to the use of the precast system, the entire concrete structure was assembled in less than 5 weeks, including fabrication.
DSP apartment building in Santiago by Studio CL. Photograph by Bruno Giliberto.
DSP apartment building in Santiago by Studio CL. Photograph by Bruno Giliberto.
Project description by Studio CL
The city of Santiago like many other capitals of the developing world is going through a fast-paced urban transformation process. Long-neglected parts of the city have seen a dramatic surge in real estate development and construction over the last 20 years. The city’s downtown neighbourhoods have been affected like no other. Mostly abandoned to economic and institutional roles during the eighties, the new century has brought a steady, exponential repopulation process. Along with the positive outcomes—like the reappreciation of public space and urban life—rising real estate prices and rents are making it increasingly difficult for the new urbanites to find housing, while predatory urban development practices threaten to erase the very character that brought them to these neighbourhoods in the first place.
DSP apartment building in Santiago by Studio CL. Photograph by Studio CL.
The Ochoalcubo DSP project proposes a sustainable way for housing development. Fitted in a lot previously occupied by just one residence, it’s an exercise in micro-scale density. Three different apartment typologies are housed inside a precast concrete shell: a 1730-square-foot duplex apartment on the ground floor with a large backyard; a 700-square-foot studio apartment on the second floor; and a 1400-square-foot penthouse at the top that enjoys the whole rooftop. At the centre of the building, an ethereal steel-plate staircase painted bright cerulean, provides access.
DSP apartment building in Santiago by Studio CL. Photograph by Bruno Giliberto.
The building structure is basically a shelf that spans the width of the property, built with precast walls and a double-tee flooring system, traditionally used for multi-story parking garages given the long spans it achieves without the need for central support. This single quality allows for the multiplicity of types inside the building, making each floor’s interior effectively independent from the one below. An expanded aluminium veil covers the front and back facades providing both shade and privacy from the street.
