The Apollo 11 house outside of Santiago was designed as a space ship that silently descends into the forest leaving minimal impact. It is as though the house could then take off at any time leaving no trace behind. At least that's what Arquitectos Parra + Edwards had in mind when designing the two story home. Relying on solar passive design, the box house takes advantage of the sun in winter months for heating and the shade of trees in the summer to stay cool.
The home is organized on two levels with 6 x 9 meter floors, each 6 meters high. This rectangular shape was inspired by Japanese architecture and based on the theory that rectangles are the only element that disappear in nature. The grid structure is constructed of metal plates with the spaces filled with either glass or wood. The forest space ship serves as an architecture workshop, recording studio and rehearsal room for acoustic and electric music.
The north facade is fully glass and takes in the heat during the winter months when the trees are without leaves. Thermal energy is stored on both floors to help keep the home a constant temperature. In the summer, the trees are bursting with leaves and provide shade for the home. Meanwhile the south side of the home features both wood and glass panels to retain heat, but the facades can be changed throughout the year depending on what the forest is doing. Built to have minimal impact on the forest, the home is merely an observation point and in theory could easily be removed without leaving a trace.
