Corten protects a family house from the extreme environment of Chilean Patagonia
![Apus Kankay is a family home designed for flexibility, located in Chile](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/TiSCyBS3qitD7dtbisjqhe-415-80.jpg)
At home, architecture often dictates the amount of time we spend with each other as we move through the different activities of the day. In the Chilean Patagonia on the eastern bank of the Rupanco Lake, the challenge for architects Aguilo+Pedraza, was to create a house that would allow a family to spend the most time together, regardless of what they were up to.
The design reference for the building was the form of a pavilion. The architects wanted to create a sheltered space that was not quite as formal as a house, but instead a flexible, congenial and laid back zone where family activities and time could be shared.
The view from the second level, and interiors featuring timber interiors and floor-to-ceiling glazing
Architects and founders of the studio Diego Aguilo and Rodrigo Pedraza brought a relaxed flexibility to the interiors. The first level functions as a living and dining space, anchored by a central double hearth with a grill on one side, and chimney on the other allowing for use as a barbeque, or a source of warmth and comfort. The second floor has a similarly easy arrangement – it’s a broad yet serene environment that could be used as a common space and a bedroom.
The outdoor ‘living room' beneath the house
The ‘pavilion’ found its place in the landscape between two century old trees, and its shape was guided by the extreme winds and rain that it had to prepare to face. The architects ‘moulded’ the Corten steel clad design, creating a first floor bay to block the icy south wind that blows in the summer, and a stairway orientated towards the north that acts as a buffer to the winter winds.
While deferential to its environment, the house is also a place where its inhabitants can experience nature. While the upper levels open up views to the tremendous sunsets and sunrises across the epic landscape, at ground level, beneath the whole structure, an outdoor terrace for living and eating has been carved out of the landscape. This area feels sheltered and habitable, like an outdoor living room – with a back garden of pure wilderness.
INFORMATION
For more information, visit the Aguilo Pedraza Arquitectos website
Wallpaper* Newsletter + Free Download
For a free digital copy of August Wallpaper*, celebrating Creative America, sign up today to receive our daily digest of inspiration, escapism and design stories
Harriet Thorpe is a writer, journalist and editor covering architecture, design and culture, with particular interest in sustainability, 20th-century architecture and community. After studying History of Art at the School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS) and Journalism at City University in London, she developed her interest in architecture working at Wallpaper* magazine and today contributes to Wallpaper*, The World of Interiors and Icon magazine, amongst other titles. She is author of The Sustainable City (2022, Hoxton Mini Press), a book about sustainable architecture in London, and the Modern Cambridge Map (2023, Blue Crow Media), a map of 20th-century architecture in Cambridge, the city where she grew up.
-
Commune’s sustainable personal care products look ‘quite unlike anything else’
Commune’s Somerset-made products stand out in the sustainable skincare crowd. Madeleine Rothery speaks with the brand’s co-founders Kate Neal and Rémi Paringaux
By Madeleine Rothery Published
-
‘Hedonistic and avant-garde’: Rabanne’s Julian Dossena on the legacy of the chainmail 1969 bag
Paco Rabanne’s 1969 chainmail handbag encapsulates the late designer’s futuristic, space-age style. Current creative director Julien Dossena tells Wallpaper* about the bag’s particular pleasures
By Jack Moss Published
-
Postcard from Paris: Olympic fever takes over the streets
On the eve of the opening ceremony of Paris 2024, our correspondent shares her views from the streets of the capital about how the event is impacting the urban landscape.
By Minako Norimatsu Published
-
Remembering Alexandros Tombazis (1939-2024), and the Metabolist architecture of this 1970s eco-pioneer
Back in September 2010 (W*138), we explored the legacy and history of Greek architect Alexandros Tombazis, who this month celebrates his 80th birthday.
By Ellie Stathaki Published
-
Sun-drenched Los Angeles houses: modernism to minimalism
From modernist residences to riveting renovations and new-build contemporary homes, we tour some of the finest Los Angeles houses under the Californian sun
By Ellie Stathaki Published
-
Modernist architecture: inspiration from across the globe
Modernist architecture has had a tremendous influence on today’s built environment, making these midcentury marvels some of the most closely studied 20th-century buildings; here, we explore the genre by continent
By Ellie Stathaki Published
-
Tour a Chilean pavilion perched on the coast: a sanctuary for sleep and star-gazing
Algarrobo-based architecture studio Whale! has designed a Chilean pavilion for rest and relaxation, overlooking a nature reserve on the Pacific coast
By Jonathan Bell Published
-
House in the Trees offers a bird's eye view of the Chilean forest
House in the Trees by Max Núñez and Stefano Rolla is an angular Chilean cabin in woods, touching the ground lightly
By Ellie Stathaki Published
-
Chile’s Panguipulli Theatre brings purpose-built architecture to the learning experience
Panguipulli Theatre, a community-centred cultural space in Chile's Región de los Ríos, combines purpose-built architecture and learning
By Ellie Stathaki Published
-
This Chilean beach house comprises a series of pavilions set beneath a wooden roof
WYND Architects has completed a Chilean beach house – a multigenerational family retreat, raised up above a site overlooking the Pacific Ocean
By Jonathan Bell Published
-
Minimalist architecture: homes that inspire calm
These examples of minimalist architecture place life in the foreground – clutter is demoted; joy promoted
By Ellie Stathaki Published