Located in the middle of the countryside, in a private nature reserve at 3500 masl, Casa Carupa is a high mountain refuge that adapts to the needs of living in a tropical high mountain climate, also known as sub-paramo, because it is an intermediate point between the paramo and the high Andean forest, whose temperatures suddenly fluctuate between 0 and 21 °C in the same day. Under these climatic and geographical conditions (with privileged views of the Andes, away from everything, and in a place that aims to preserve the pre-existing natural conditions as much as possible), the project is conceived following these premises:

1. It’s designed to be built as a dry prefabricated single-room shelter with the intention of bringing the vast majority of the materials pre-assembled and cut and making the process a dry assembly with the least impact on the environment. The only wet process with concrete is done in the 15 foundation dies. The volume’s structure was built dry using the steel framing system, a very light standardized structural system where all the profiles contribute to the stability of the whole, and a steel deck plate with sandwich-type dry forging and 20mm OSB.

2. The project starts from a 4x4m modulation, where in each module the bedroom, kitchen, living room, and dining room with porch are located. These modules are assembled with an intermediate strip of 2x4m intended for the bathroom and the extension of the social area, thus forming a rectangular volume topped by a sawtooth-shaped roof.

3. The construction’s modularity system and the standardization of spaces mean that the house can grow over time with the same structural and spatial module, forming a home with more rooms and outdoor spaces.

4. The envelope is carefully designed to achieve the greatest possible thermal comfort without consuming energy. For this, the windows and skylights of this structure are designed to be oriented towards the morning sun with the aim of making the most of solar radiation and capturing it inside. Once captured, the intention is to keep it as much as possible inside, reducing heat loss. The facade’s thermal package, plate, and roof is composed of several layers of waterproof protection (metal sheet tile and waterproofing layer), thermal protection (intermediate layers of expanded polystyrene and rock wool), and a vapor barrier to achieve a “hot structure.” The windows were specified with thermal break, allowing large openings to the landscape without losing insulation efficiency.

5. In search of the discretion necessary to land in a place like this, the refuge seeks to differentiate itself from the landscape without being striking. For this reason, a unique material has been chosen for the façade made of stapled metal tiles oven-painted with a navy blue color chosen for this occasion. This color is complementary to the general color palette of the landscape, so the house blends into the high Andean forest without falling into direct military-style camouflage.

6. In opposition to the austere and cold exterior, the interior walls are covered in OSB wood panels that, in addition to a warm-colored vinyl floor, guarantee a feeling of warmth and domesticity.

Carupa House

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