Arte Urbano Building

© Pedro Mutis

© Pedro Mutis

Architects: MAO Arquitectos – Fernando Marin & Mónica Alvarez de Oro
Collaborators: Catherine Salomó, Cristián Ulloa
Owner: Fondo de Inversión Carrera
Location: Carrera 476 – Esquina Toesca, Santiago Centro, Santiago, Chile
General Contractor: Constructora ByC
Structural Engineering: Rafael Gatica
Site Area: 978m2
Built Area: 6.007 m2
Project Year: 2007
Photographs: Pedro Mutis.

The building, as a business product, raises itself as a response to a detected requirement in a well known zone called “Barrio Universitario” where universities, institutes and centers of technique formation coexist, gathering more than 90 000 students of whom approximately the 15% are from provinces and require housing, acknowledging this as a pension, for rent or for buying. In this sense is that, with the Developers, it is decided to generate two main products, that are the apartment of one enviorment or studio and one bigger apartment with flexible lay out  that allows having from one enviorment to two bedrooms with two restrooms.

The proposal of having flexible apartments in the façades to Toesca street and Carrera Street might lead to a possible disorder in the expression of themselves, in response to the diverse requirements of individual users. Therefore, as proposed façade, was built a double skin of small balconies, through vertical and horizontal elements designed to randomly generate a first glimpse of the building which gives, in the titration, the proposed diversity.