Reforma Departamento GZ
Apartment renovation in Villa Frei 1960s housing estate in Ñuñoa
The first brief from the client called for the search of an apartment in Ñuñoa which offered home qualities, such as multiple orientations and views, preferably two storeys and generous spaces. The client, a young mathematician, from the beginning expressed her interest in the Villa Frei housing estate, and after a time of searching, a duplex apartment in this complex was selected.
The intervention´s first objective is to update the arrangement of the apartment, which was originally intended for an average family of the 60s to a contemporary arrangement, more informal and for fewer users. A maid´s room and bathroom are removed to accommodate fewer rooms but of better quality. The second objective was to update the general standard of floorings, walls, ceilings and the replacement of all systems.
It was decided to approach the intervention in two stages. In the first, the first storey is completely intervened, emptying it of all non-structural elements, floorings, walls and old systems, to then build a built-in furniture box that contains an open kitchen, its appliances and storage space, it also conceals the structural elements and defines the new spatiality of the living and dining room: loose, extroverted and open. In this stage the apartment's laundry space is also restored in its original position. In the second stage all the non-structural subdivisions of the west part of the second storey are eliminated, to define a new arrangement that contemplates a comfortable master bedroom, with en-suite bathroom and walk-in closet. The second bedroom and original bathroom are restored.
A reduced palette of materials and neutral colours is proposed, highlighting the modernist architecture of the apartment and able to receive in the client´s furniture and decoration in a flexible way.
