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Alejandro Aravena has gained international honours and awards for his pioneering work at Elemental. An independent practice with a ‘social conscience’, Elemental seeks to deliver greater equality for urban dwellers and improve the quality of people's lives. It has formed key partnerships with Universidad Catolica de Chile (Chile's Catholic University) and the Chilean oil company, COPEC. Here Aravena describes some of the works that have informed Elemental's strategy: from its first housing project in Iquique in northern Chile to a sustainable masterplan with Arup for the coastal town of Constitución in the wake of the Chilean earthquake. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

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Peripheral housing usually appears in the form of low density that generates a dynamic expanding the urban footprint and favoring segregation. Elemental's project densifies a small site to the south of the city, housing 30 families in identical basic units that the adapt over time, each one acquiring its own character.La vivienda periférica suele aparecer dentro un manto de baja densidad, generado en una dinámica que expande el suelo urbano y fomenta la segregación. Este proyecto de Elemental densifica un pequeño paño al sur de la ciudad, alojando a 30 familias que adaptarán una unidad básica; con el tiempo, cada una de ellas adquirirá un carácter propio.