This work is intended above all to suggest shelter. For that reason we turned away from the experimental speculation so often found in a residence project.
This dwelling was erected on a recently settled hill on the east side of Santiago, on a privileged site facing the majestic grandeur of the Andes Mountains. Given the awe-inspiring surroundings, the house is a rotund concrete shape, still and immovable, its base following the slope of the ground while the horizontal roof contrasts with the hilltops and the interior opens out on the everlasting presence of the mountain range. Between introversion and a dialog with nature we sought to build silence.
The close integration of the floor of the house and the natural topography enhances the topological value of the work. Adapting the floor to the slightly sloping ground originated a ramp connecting the various rooms. The ramp starts from a brief courtyard that, having crossed the entrance door, provides a transition between the street and the interior. The rising path is flanked by a garden mediating between the public front and the sheltered interior.
The distance from the horizontal roof to the sloping floor originated a varying floor-to-ceiling height that was utilized to underline the importance of each room. The most public area, situated in mid-ramp, was allowed to be four meters high, while lower down, where the resulting height allowed two floors to be built, there the bedrooms were located.
Aware of the unparalleled view on all sides, the roof was made suitable for walking to enjoy the magnificent surroundings and a view of the distant city.
Face to face with the Andes, the colored concrete melting into the earthy tones of the mountains expresses a longing for transcendence. Here the material suggests the timelessness of stone, fusing in an instant the archaic and the contemporary.
