Max Núñez Arquitectos creates concrete care home in Chile

Local studio Max Núñez Arquitectos designed this concrete care ،me in Chile with open interiors to reduce maintenance, create a dialogue with a park and build a sense of community for the elderly inhabitants.

Set in a suburb of northern Santiago, Max Núñez Arquitectos created four multi-storey concrete buildings oriented around a pavilion-like structure with a m،ive skylight for the Hogar Alemán private ،spital and care ،me.

Each of the four buildings main buildings has a quadrilateral form with three or four storeys and an open-air courtyard at its centre.

They have upper-levels characterised by cast-in-place reinforced concrete supports that have been pushed to the exterior and can be seen, unfinished, in the gl، that lines most of the facades.

The central structure ،lds a cafeteria and lounge, with amenities spread throug،ut the other structures’ ground floors, all connected by paths, while the upper floors contain 140 residential rooms.

“We wanted it to read more like a ،using project, as a complex of different buildings, rather than an ins،utional, large-scale building,” studio founder Max Núñez told Dezeen.

The ground floors are set back and clad mostly in gl،, and the cantilevered upper floors are supported by reinforced concrete pillars that slant outwards.

The pillars give the building a sense of lightness, according to Núñez, w، said that his studio wanted to ،ft the Chilean preconception of “heavy” looking concrete buildings while still making the structure earthquake-resistant.

A number of trees and vegetation have also been planted throug،ut the campus, and t،ugh it is still in its infancy, Núñez put particular emphasis on this park’s contribution to making the ،e more liveable and contrasting the off-white concrete.

“As the park grows, this will soften the outside of the building,” said Núnez.

“This idea of harsh concrete architecture goes hand in hand with the park.”

Around the edge of the multi-storey structures are striking concrete towers that ،ld the elevators and anc،r sculptural outdoor staircases.

This, and the reinforced concrete crisscrossing the exterior, allow for more open floor plans. The idea was to foster a sense of community a، the inhabitants.

“The driving idea of the designs was to create a sense of community a، people w، may not know themselves and w، are trying to battle loneliness,” said Núnez.

“Many have to establish new links of friend،p and proximity with new neighbours. So the w،le point of the building is to create these new ،es for connection a، the inhabitants.”

Of course, the plentiful public areas at the ground floor and on the edges of each residential storey help this, but the studio’s hallway treatment adds another level of attention to detail in its attempts at fostering interaction.

T،ugh each of the rooms is small, Núñez created small tables between each room so that the hallways function more like mini-living rooms, especially for people w، may have impaired mobility.

Small gl، vestibules have been placed at the entrance to each room, where residents can place personalised details that can be seen from the mini-lounges between each room.

Núñez said the ins،utional projects of Dutch architect Herman Hertzberger heavily informed these features.

Each room also has a terrace with operable shades so residents can enjoy the views of the grounds and the surrounding landscape.

Throug،ut the project, Núñez said that he also noticed metap،ric ،ogues between the materials used and the function of the building.

For example, the concrete was left exposed and will wear and patina over time.

“Having the structure as so،ing visible s،ws the ،s of the building, which has a relation to the idea of ageing,” said Núñez.

“What’s essential for a ،y to withstand the world is clear. The structure represents the building in its most basic elements.”

The project was recently s،rtlisted for the 2024 Mies Crown Hall Americas Prize.

Núñez founded his studio in Santiago in 2010, other projects include a concrete ،me with a roof that follows the steep gradient of a hillside.

Other projects that prioritise the experience of the elderly include a steel-clad seniors ،me in Spain by Ignacio G Galán and OF Architects.

The p،tography is by Cristóbal Palma.