© Alejandro del Castillo
This small modern house is located near Villarrica, Chile and has a view over a valley to the Villarrica Volcano. For a relatively small house, it has a fairly complex and dynamic shape. The house consists of two opposing shed-roofed volumes separated by a small courtyard. Architect Rodrigo del Castillo of Chilean studio DOM designed the two volumes to correspond to the client’s request for a house with a separate flexible-use space.
This small cabin sits on an arid hillside in Casablanca, a grape growing region of central Chile about an hour’s drive northwest of Santiago. It has expansive views of the valleys and ravines below. The clients wanted an unpretentious refuge that would be efficient to build and to use.
This small cabin in a rural area of central Chile uses little energy and has a low carbon footprint. AATA Arquitectos designed the cabin, opting for a two level floor plan to minimize the site impact. The cabin takes the shape of a cube that is 5.4 m (17’9″) on each side.
From a distance, this small house appears pretty straightforward. Cabaña Bascuñan has a simple shed-like shape with a roof that extends out to shelter the porch. But get closer and you realize that things aren’t quite as they seem. The gable end windows appear symmetrical at first glance until you notice that they don’t align with the peak of the roof. The roof has the usual overhang on one side but on the other side it folds down to form the wall. One window is recessed slightly; another protrudes from the wall. These and other unexpected elements enrich the experience of visiting the house.
photo by Rodrigo Avilés
This small 2-story house sits in a deciduous forest on the outskirts of Santiago, Chile. It was designed by Parra + Edwards Arquitectos. The house is a simple rectangular box given architectural interest by the patchwork pattern of alternating glass and solid wall.
Supposedly it was named for Apollo 11 because it was conceived to be “like a ship that landed in a forest without touching it at any time and will undertake its departure, leaving the forest intact.” That sounds like pure architectural hubris; no one but an architect would imagine that a house could be built in a formerly untouched forest with no impact. However with the largely transparent lower level, the more solid-walled upper level does appear from some angles to be hovering like a spaceship.
Casa B8 is a small modern house located on the coast of Chile. Designed by architects 56.02, it consists of two simple rectangular blocks joined by a deck. One block contains the living area and a bedroom, while the second one, at half the size, is used as a guest suite. Between the two blocks is a courtyard patio protected on a third side by a storage wall that also houses a barbecue cooking area. The front door of the house actually provides entrance to this courtyard rather than going directly inside. Having a sheltered outdoor space was important as the area is subject to frequent high winds blowing in from the Pacific.
This small cabin in Chile is a literal cliffhanger, perched on pilings atop a bluff that drops steeply to the Pacific Ocean below. The deck hangs so far over the slope that it gives the impression of being right over the water. One definition of a cabin is a small dwelling of simple construction built from readily available materials. Architects Alvaro Ramírez and Clarisa Elton designed the structure staying true to that definition, and yet the cabin transcends its humble form. As Leonardo da Vinci put it, “Simplicity is the ultimate sophistication.”
