Cabin in the Melimoyu fjord
The project consists of a small cabin in the Melimoyu fjord, in patagonia. A landscape shaped by glaciers, mountains and islands between dense forests.
The shelter gathers the minimum necessities to inhabit the place, while provides a privileged lookout for the bay landscape.
The patagonian fjords are a geography shaped by glaciers, mountains and islands between dense forests. The huge ice-fields of the Melimoyu volcano stand over the valley. In this landscape it rains over 2800 mm per year and its complex geography makes it one of the country’s most beautiful and sparsely populated regions.
The commission consists of a small shelter in Melimoyu with the necessities to inhabit the place. The site is a narrow levelled platform 50 meters above sea level, with a broad view of the bay. The slope is south facing and is covered by a grove of ancient trees. Little sunlight penetrates this forest and humidity is very high.
To access the cabin, more than 300 meters of wooden walkways were built touring slopes. Due to the steep topography it was not possible to draw precise plans for all the catwalk. Instead, the construction is ruled by a construction system with a continuous width, a form of steps and a system for determining breaks. The final form is determined by the geography of the forest.
The project is located north to south. The south façade opens onto the Melimoyu bay overlooking the sea and the mouth of the Marchant river. The access is oriented towards the north side, while in the height, a window collects the sun and heat of the north.
Eastward a lookout corridor connects the outdoor terraces of the north and south façades. For three of four sides the project has eaves and terraces that protect the rains. The west side is closed by an hermetic and watertight façade. In the centre of the shelter a wood stove is the main source of heat. Indoor heating is fed with the river deposits trees on the coast.
