smiljan radic’s casa cr

Radic’s alterations represent an important point in his early career where he began to experiment with sculpture and ETFE membrane, a motif that is present in many of his later works. Casa CR also marks a continuity of his experimentation in radically rethinking space through art, culture and poetry (also present in Habitación, 1997/2007). The centrepiece of this project is, what he calls, a ‘translucent space without a name,’ formally inspired by an engraving of a boat discovered in Detif Church. An existing attic was removed to make way for this ‘translucent space’ on the second floor, with a new staircase running through the centre of the house. Radic, however, only describes the ground floor as the house: the ‘translucent space’ ‘moves with the wind, the rain makes it sound gently, the city creeps in like a distant murmur, the shadows of the trees make their mark on its walls.’ This is a uniquely other space.

Casa CR is notably not present in Smiljan Radic’s edition of 2G that documents most of his houses, instead only featured in El Croquis 167 (2013). This is his third published house (not counting Charcoal Burner’s Hut, 1999) and one of his earliest works.

Excerpts

While we were repairing the Detif church structure on Chiloé Island, a bas relief image of a ship appeared, carved on the walls. This figure was the formal matrix that we used to transform the CR House in Santiago.

We removed the heavy attic from the existing volume, and organized the ground floor around an excessive staircase. The ground floor is the house where the bedrooms, kitchen, dining room and bathroom are linked directly to each other, like country houses, along openings between different precincts. A study, a games room and a cellar were organized in the basement. On the upper floor we installed a marquee made in Germany, based on the unstable geometry of the steel structure built in Chile. The walls of this precinct consist of a double polyester membrane coated with PVC, while the roof structure is based on two floats inflated with a small compressor that regulates the air pressure, modified by changes in the outside temperature.

We have never been able to give this translucent space a name. It is simply an inefficient space designed to only be occupied at certain times of the year. It moves with the wind, the rain makes it sound gently, the city creeps in like a distant murmur, the shadows of the trees make their mark on its walls.

Countless protest letters about the outward appearance of CR House were received from neighbours who refused to accept this soft artefact, impenetrable to views, associated with circus and gypsy culture, so profoundly admired by Constant A. Nieuwenhuys.

From El Croquis Smiljan Radic 163, 2003-2013.