Tiny House / Cazú Zegers Arquitectura

Architects: Cazú Zegers Arquitectura
Area: 69 m²
Year: 2022
Photographs: Marcos Zegers
Interior Area: 50,75 m2
Exterior Area: 18,45 m2
City: Lo Barnechea
Country: Chile

Set in Lo Barnechea, Santiago, the Tiny House project or Pueblo La Dehesa represents a forward-thinking approach to neighborhood design. Created by Zegers and Figueroa, this project comprises three prefabricated housing types, all designed to promote sustainability and modern community living. Through the integration of communal amenities and natural design cues from the concept of botanical shyness, the project envisions a close-knit, pedestrian-friendly environment. The use of modular construction and careful material selection underscores a commitment to environmentally conscious and efficient urban planning.

The Tiny House project in Lo Barnechea, Santiago, named Pueblo La Dehesa, emerges from a commission to design a neighborhood characterized by sustainability and contemporary living. The plan includes three types of prefabricated small housing: Type A at 24.5 m² with a bedroom and bathroom, Type B at 69.02 m² with two bedrooms and one bathroom, and Type C at 63 m² with two bedrooms and two bathrooms. Each typology features a kitchen, dining area, and living space.

Designed to form clusters of 12 units, the goal is to ultimately create a total of 600 modules, incorporating neighborhood amenities such as coffee shops, bakeries, and gourmet stores. This design aims to cultivate a densely populated pedestrian town, blending seamlessly into a park that opens to the mountains, reflecting a pixel within a larger system.

Cazú Zegers and his team pursued an organic approach to urbanization, steering away from conventional urban designs that restrict community interaction and fluidity.

Inspired by the concept of botanical shyness, which is the tendency of trees to grow with slight separations to avoid crowding, the project utilizes this natural spacing to organize the housing units. This spacing fosters small alleys and pathways among the homes, promoting a sense of community and connectivity.

The primary materials used are Clear Pine wood for external cladding and iron for structural details. Architectural innovations include strategic prefabrication for the housing units and a steel staircase inspired by Japanese origami, which provides a sculptural quality to the design.

The approach to interior doors, which are frameless to enhance the sense of space, contributes to the minimalist and spacious aesthetic inside each unit.

The interior design, handled by Zegers and Figueroa with furniture by Bontempo, aims to enhance life deployment through spatial solutions that increase luminosity and perceived space. Kitchen and bathroom fixtures are supplied by MK, and the construction of the modular units was undertaken by Modular RCM, ensuring a clean and cohesive look that extends outward to the terraces, further connecting the indoor and outdoor environments.