丨智利丨reBA Studio

Architects:reBA Studio

Area:400m²

Year:2024

Photographs:Tom Alarcón

Lead Architects:Mario Leonardo Melano, Enrico Bertolini, Josefina Echaiz

Category:Houses

Lead Team:Mario Leonardo Melano, Enrico Bertolini, Josefina Echaiz

Design Team:Juan Walker

Engineering And Consulting > Structural:Alberto Ramirez Covo

City:Litueche

Country:Chile

Text description provided by the architects. Casa Puertecillo is a summer beach house for a large family. It is located on sandy, sloping terrain that descends toward the ocean. The site features a coniferous forest, which was preserved as much as possible through the project's design, particularly in its placement. At the time of taking on the project, the rough construction of the house was partially built, which helped us define the organizational axes of the project.

The house is organized into a series of programmatic volumes of varying widths and heights, separating public areas from private ones, and the bedrooms of the different family members. These disparate volumes are connected by a long "C"-shaped corridor that spatially organizes them on the site and structures them together. The roofs of the volumes create a rhythmic play of slopes and heights, with skylights that provide natural light to the dining room and the master bedroom.

The north face of the house, facing the beach, features large windows and spacious terraces to take advantage of the privileged sea view. On the south side, a central outdoor patio is configured, protected from the wind, where the house itself acts as a shield, allowing outdoor enjoyment sheltered from the gusts of windy days.

Wood is the main material in the house, being present in both the supporting structure and the exterior and interior finishes. The chosen wood is locally sourced Radiata Pine for the supporting elements in floors and walls, while the cladding is made of Spruce. To span the large openings required by some spaces in the project, such as the living room and dining room, I-joist beams were implemented. Additionally, this material helps reduce the carbon footprint and meet the high thermal performance standards that the project aimed to achieve.

Project gallery