Squella Architects: Partenón 1770 Building, Vitacura, Chile

real estate company Moller y Pérez Cotapos, located in Vitacura, a high-end metropolitan area in Santiago with the highest human development index in Chile. The architects' mission was to develop a proposal with the best possible performance within a complex and restrictive regulatory environment. "All the indications were followed, while at the same time we tried to design attractive and comfortable apartments," explains German Squella, one of the partners in the Chilean architectural firm.

The rectangular building has seven floors and a three-storey basement, with a certain distance from the main street and neighboring plots and in keeping with the surrounding area. On the first floor there are communal services, the building's entrance hall, a gourmet room, a gym and access to the garden and swimming pool. There are also two apartments with exclusive access to a garden terrace. From the first to the sixth floors there are 42 two- and three-bedroom apartments (seven per floor, with areas between 80 and 140 square meters; on the top floor they have a direct connection to a panoramic terrace). In the basement, there are three levels of parking and storage, as well as all the building equipment, pumps, boilers and service installations.

With a reinforced concrete structural system, the residential building is clad externally in ceramic bricks, which gives the project a more welcoming aesthetic. According to German, the materiality was defined according to construction trends and experience in previous projects. The façades are also characterized by the presence of extensive terraces (from 17 to 48 square metres) connected to floor-to-ceiling openings, which allow for more connection with the landscape, natural lighting and ventilation and a feeling of spaciousness in the internal environments.

Brasília Concreto ceramic tiles from the Brazilian brand Portobello, which currently operates in 75 countries, were used for the floors of the external areas of the residential units. As well as giving the project a contemporary aesthetic and quality, the choice sought to harmonize the transition between the internal and external floors in a sober and elegant way. "With Brasília Concreto, we were able to achieve a homogeneous and unified floor on the terraces, in perfect harmony with the woody internal floor. With its sober color and design, it allows the lighting, vertical coverings and the space in general to stand out," says the architect.

The Brasília line was inspired by the exposed concrete surfaces created by Oscar Niemeyer and was developed as a tribute to the modern architecture of Brazil's capital. In the Chilean building project, the product was applied in a 60 x 60 cm format, in gray and graphite colors and with a natural finish. The product can be used in spaces with heavy foot traffic, such as the entrance halls and secondary corridors of commercial buildings, hotels and museums, or with light traffic, such as the balconies of the residential units in the Partenón 1770 building.

Photo 1: Partenón 1770 building, designed by Chilean firm Squella Arquitectos in the Santiago metropolitan area

Photo 2: Extensive terraces on the façades allow for more natural light and ventilation and a connection between indoors and outdoors

Photos 3 and 4: The terraces received Portobello floor coverings to harmonize with the floors chosen for the interiors and the façades clad in ceramic bricks (Credit: Moller y Pérez Cotapos)

Photo 5: Brasília Concrete graphite (60x60 cm)

Photo 6: Brasília Grey concrete (60x60 cm)