Floor Plans
3D Renderings
Construction Process
About ELEMENTAL Architecture
| Project | Chusmisa Housing Wildfire Reconstruction |
| Architects | ELEMENTAL |
| Area | 252m² (4 apartments of 63m²) |
| Modules | 8 prefabricated living modules and 3 prefabricated roof modules |
| Manufacturing Time | 1 month |
| Installation Time | 1 day (+5 days of finishing) |
| Project Cost | $220,000 |
| Location | Viña del Mar, Chile |
| Year | 2025 |
A year after the mega-fire in Viña del Mar and with only 26% progress in the reconstruction work in the area, the ELEMENTAL office and local authorities began the construction of a prefabricated modular housing project in one of the residential neighborhoods most affected by the catastrophe. It is a medium-density residential building with a modular metal structure that aims to serve as a starting point for other similar modular projects, in response to what is now considered one of the most catastrophic events in the recent history of Chile. The objective, declared by both Alejandro Aravena and the mayor of the city, Macarena Ripamonti, is that the technology and management model behind this prefabricated housing project serve as a precedent to deliver rapid and definitive modular housing solutions in emergency scenarios.
The so-called mega-fire in Viña del Mar broke out on February 2, 2024, and lasted two days. During that time, it covered an area of nearly 9.5 hectares in one of the most populated regions in Chile, encompassing the cities of Viña del Mar, Quilpué, Villa Alemana, and Limache (neighboring to the north of the renowned port of Valparaíso). During the event, which is currently attributed to human action, 132 people died, around 5,500 homes burned, as well as industries, services, and emblematic public spaces such as the Botanical Garden. The project designed by ELEMENTAL (the office of award-winning Alejandro Aravena) is located in one of the residential neighborhoods most affected by the fire, El Olivar.
The land for this “pilot project,” a public-private collaboration, was chosen and evaluated by municipal authorities in conjunction with universities in the region. The building designed by ELEMENTAL has 4 apartments of 63m², built with a total of 8 prefabricated living modules and 3 prefabricated roof modules. The modules are manufactured with a steel structure, composite slabs and galvanized steel profile walls within a period of one month. After that, they are transported by truck and assembled in a single day, then contemplating 5 days of finishing in optimal conditions.
Floor Plans
3D Renderings
According to Alejandro Aravena, the incorporation of this prefabrication and assembly technology responds to an essential problem in this type of scenario: speed. In Chile, the response to emergencies caused by natural phenomena is mostly managed and financed by the central government, located in the city of Santiago. In a territory that reaches 4,270 km in length, encompassing three geographic zones and a wide variety of climates, the centralization of resources and power is problematic for emergency construction. The Municipality of Viña del Mar therefore proposes this project as an opportunity to explore the possibility of responding locally to the need for housing. As a pilot project, called by the municipality “Small Condominiums”, it is projected beyond the construction of this first building, with a view to receiving new financing and continuing with other units.
Construction Process
The installation of the modules began on January 21, 2025. At 10 p.m. on the same day that the first module was installed on the site, the construction of the structure was completed with the installation of the roof. The design includes one apartment per floor, providing a housing solution for 4 families, whose homes, previously houses with a patio, were around 36 square meters. From an architectural point of view, the project means a change not only in the construction technology of local housing, but also in its typology. The implementation of this prototype has a total cost of 223 million Chilean pesos (about 220,000 dollars), financed in this first version by the Chilean Ministry of Finance.
Modular housing is presented here as a current alternative for construction in Latin America. As a collective initiative and in recognition of its contextual variants, prefabricated housing, until now mostly used in single-family second homes, can be approached as an effective solution to some of the contemporary challenges of the construction industry. As for design, there are already references in the region such as iHouse Estudio in Uruguay, SET Ideas and Estudio Borrachia in Argentina, or Ensamble de Arquitectura Integral in Colombia, to demonstrate that modular construction can provide agility without necessarily losing its identity.
About ELEMENTAL
ELEMENTAL is a Do Tank founded in 2001, led by Pritzker Prize 2016 Alejandro Aravena and partners Gonzalo Arteaga, Juan Cerda, Víctor Oddó and Diego Torres. ELEMENTAL’s work stands out for engaging in projects that range from housing to public space, from objects to buildings, covering a wide spectrum of interests. Their unbiased approach to a given question enables the office to enter fields they haven’t explored before, generating an original contribution to people’s quality of life.
| Address | Los Conquistadores 1700 Piso 29-A, Providencia 7520282, Chile |
| Phone | +56 229 637 500 |
| Website | https://www.elementalchile.cl/ |
$220,000 Four Story Four Apartments Prefabricated Modular Housing, Chile