BIOCONSTRUCTION

RUCA MALOCA

San Vicente de Tagua Tagua, Chile

This project is an experimental house of barro y totora that we are building at this moment at Chilean countryside. One of the main ideas is to take advantage of the materials that are abundant in the nature of this territory. Furthermore, using these ancestral materials and building techniques aims to remind the local people of their cultural and natural heritage that has disappeared from nowadays landscapes and construction habits.

The primary structure of the building is made of the wood of some trees that had to be taken down in a garden just a few meters from the construction site. The roof is made of totora – a tall grass that is common in nearby canals that drain the surrounding fields. The walls are built using mainly mud and adobes, but also recycled elements. For example, structures made of transportation pallets inside the mud walls make them stable and earthquake-proof. Windows recycled from other buildings and glass bottles bring in the sunlight.

As you can see, this building process is particularly ecological and economical. However, the project is not only questioning the materiality of a house, but also its spatial organization and the ways of living and using the space it provides.

This small building serves both as a gathering place and as a house for living and working. Its architecture is inspired by the form of ceremonial houses (rucas and malocas) of different South-American indigenous cultures. The space of its circular volume is organized around a central hearth – the warming heart of the house that brings people together.