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Architects: Undurraga Devés Arquitectos
- Area: 460 m²
- Year: 2007
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Photographs:Cristobal Palma / Estudio Palma
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Manufacturers: Duromarmol, GLASSTECH, Melón Hormigones
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Construction: M3 Constructors, Jaime Rios
Text description provided by the architects. In the history of architecture, there does not exist an architype so prevelent as the organization of living spaces around a patio. Unfolding over different civilizations, the typology of the patio house traces back to Asia in the year 3000 a.c., specifically in China and India. The Greeks, in the IV and V centuries, contributed major developments to the evolution of the model and influenced the understanding of the mediterranian patio house introduced to the Americas with the arrival of the Spanish. The house presented uses the historical sediment as its inspirtation and redefines the model in a contemporary manner.
The house is located in the east region of the city of Santiago, where the valley meets the mountain range. The proyect is developed in a single plan, with the spaces organized around a central patio using crystal and quartz walls. During the day these walls are used to capture the sun light and illuminate the main hall of circulation; in the evening the walls are artificially lit and give the patio an illuminated glow.
Towards the south, the public facade closes, intensely hiding the events occuring inside. The interiors of the house are only revealed through the extension of the beams on the north facade and exterior sky roof.
The interiors of the different enclosures are defined by walls that do not reach the ceiling andover which the wood beams pass, creating a visual continuity throughout the house. Only the most outward enclosures, located on both sides of the plan and containing the bathrooms and other service program, connect to the roof slab and emphasize the structural rigidity of the sky.
The beams on the north and south facades, which extend themselves into the interiors of the gardens, are supported by a series of discrete steel cables and give the pergola a weightlessness sensation. The sifted light, along with the benign climate in the given area, creates a priviledged site for domestic living.
