Wooden Vernacular Architecture as a Sustainable Development and Security Mechanism. The case of the Palafitos of Chiloé, Chile.

Abstract

The present research aims to explore how the palafitic construction can be a strengthening mechanism of Sustainable Development, Education and Safety. The construction study of the stilt houses of Chiloé, Chile, has been selected as a case because: (1) Chiloé has a unique vernacular architecture; (2) it has a geographic morphology that has allowed since its genesis as a city to build structures in wood and sustainable materials, (3) its stilt houses are used as a source of sustainable development, being used for residential, commercial and tourist uses (5) the supporting structure works independent of the habitable volume. The methodology is developed through the analysis of discourses of relevant actors in the area (associated architects, local authorities, specific groups) together with studying the stilt houses of Barrio Gamboa and Pedro Montt in the town of Castro. It is concluded that construction in stilt houses has turned out to be a strengthening mechanism for Sustainable Development, Education and Safety and territorial resilience, as has happened in the construction case of stilt houses in Chiloé, Chile.