cristián berríos stacks concrete offices on a narrow plot in chile

cristián berríos stacks concrete offices on a narrow plot in chile
photography by jordi regot
all images courtesy of cristián berríos architect

chilean architect cristián berríos has completed a narrow concrete office building, located on the outskirts of concepción’s city center. named ‘STV building’, the structure has been built on a hillside next to a public park that runs perpendicular with the street.

the structure has been built on a hillside next to a public park that runs parallel with the street

neighboring houses are placed above sidewalk level, in a balcony-like projection, leaving grass fields at near-shoulder height. the aim of the project was to restore the natural plinth, and repurpose it as a gap to increase the width of the pedestrian footpath, keeping the building and the houses aligned.

the narrow concrete office building is located on the outskirts of concepción’s city center

‘each mark of the casting process of the building is interesting for us as a register of its construction‘, explain the architects. ‘we accepted, from the beginning, the possible imperfections as a contribution, not a mistake. to attain the building’s visual consistency, we added carefully studied proportional relations not only between each part of the building, but also as a whole, in an attempt to merge the structural and spatial criteria.’

exposed concrete finishes are continued inside the building

the building is formed monolithically with exposed concrete finishes, alternating with smooth molding for the horizontal elements. the scale of the scheme tries to set a precedent against current local legislation, which prioritizes the excessive construction of high-rise buildings over a narrow urban layout – which the architects feel is not compatible with long term property speculation.

floor-to-ceiling windows provide ample daylight

the structure’s lowermost level

defensible space at ground floor level

looking towards the street from the rear of the building

the building contrasts exposed concrete finishes with smooth molding for the horizontal elements

the scale of the scheme tries to set a precedent against the region’s current legislation

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project info:

construction: STV building

architects: cristián berríos | CBA
location: concepción, chile

associated architect: cristian dippel

collaborator architect: ignacio rojas wilckens

owners: maría paz calderón, pablo vásquez

project area: 486 sqm
land area: 392 sqm
year of the project: 2013

year of construction: 2014

photography: jordi regot

construction: sergio jara

structural design: luis mendieta

building services: marcelo valenzuela, sandra gómez, jorge roa

mockups: pamela cordero, marcos aravena, rodrigo ceballos

3D mockup: iván uribe