Enzo Sartori Folds a 35 m² Charred Timber Refuge Toward the Andes in Chile's Maule Foothills

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This article covers topics related to Refuge, Residential Building, Architecture. In the foothills of Chile's Maule Region, a blackened, faceted shelter fits two bedrooms into 35 m² and opens one glass gable to the Andes.

In the foothills of Chile's Maule Region, a blackened, faceted shelter fits two bedrooms into 35 m² and opens one glass gable to the Andes.

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UNI Editorial published Blog under Refuge, Residential Building on Oct 10, 2026

Corel Refuge is a 35 m² shelter by Enzo Sartori, completed in 2018 in the foothill country of Chile's Maule Region, where the land climbs toward the Andes. On paper it is a modest cabin. On the slope it reads as a dark, faceted object: blackened timber walls folded at odd angles, a standing-seam metal roof that splits along a diagonal ridge, and one fully glazed gable aimed at the mountains.

What interests us is the amount of work the geometry does at such a small scale. The angled outline is not decoration. It holds a living-dining space, a kitchen, a bathroom and two bedrooms inside a footprint smaller than many studio apartments. The same folds give the exterior its presence, so a tiny volume reads as deliberate architecture rather than a prefab shed dropped among the trees.

A Dark Object on Red Earth

Faceted dark timber cabin with a folded metal roof half hidden by bare trees on a red earth slope

Distant view of the faceted dark cabin with a rust-toned door, seen across a pine-needle slope in hard sunlight

Dark timber-clad cabin with a glazed gable end and angled entry recess, set on bare red earth among bare trees at dusk

Seen from a distance, the refuge sits half hidden among bare trees on a slope of red earth and pine needles. The near-black cladding pushes the building back into the shadows of the trunks, and the metal roof catches the light only at its edges. The result is quiet, though not timid: the silhouette stays sharp against the soft ground.

There is no attempt at a manicured plot. The cabin meets the slope with gravel, paving and a scatter of concrete blocks, and the terrain around it stays raw. For a shelter whose purpose is to put you in the landscape, that restraint is the right call.

About the Studio

Enzo Sartori

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