Caterpillar House is a shipping container home built in the outskirts of Santiago Chile in a suburban residential area for an art collector and his family. To save time and money, twelve second-hand shipping containers were used: five 40″ standard containers, six 20″ standard containers, and one 40″ open top container for the swimming pool.
Aside from meeting the client’s requirements, the house had two main purposes:
The first one was to blend in with the surrounding territory, which is dominated by the visually striking Andes Mountain. The presence of the Andes served as a backdrop that needed to be emphasized, and the sloped ground had to be taken into account.
The second purpose was to allow natural airflow throughout the house, eliminating the need for mechanical cooling.
To achieve integration with the surroundings, the shipping containers were positioned as if resting on the slope, harmonizing with the natural ground. This resulted in an entrance to the house and inclined inner spaces for the children’s sleeping rooms, which served as skylights and bed areas.
To improve air circulation, the design was organized in stripes, with interstitial spaces between them for both inhabitants and cool air from the mountains to flow. These interstitial spaces also increased the house’s outside perimeter, enabling light and air to enter from opposite sides. As a result, windows and doors were aligned along axes that intersected the stripes, facilitating airflow and creating visual integration
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The construction process involved placing retaining walls to create a horizontal plane for the public areas, assembling and stacking the containers for the private areas, and finally wrapping the containers with a unifying material. This material not only integrated the parts but also created a ventilated facade to regulate the interior temperature.
The choice of materials focused on affordability and low maintenance. It was also important to select materials that age well, appreciating over time and adding value to the building. Architectural elements such as windows, doors, and skylights were standardized and used throughout the house, not only to reduce costs but also to create a cohesive architectural design.
Courtesy of : Sebastián Irarrázaval Arquitectos
