Designed by Cazú Zegers, LLU House is proposed in the concept of a “Family Lodge”, which aims to house a complete family of 4 generations, and friends. Located in the south of Chile, in the Region of Los Ríos, which is a very rainy place. From this rainy condition is born the poetic words that leads the concept of the architectural design. The first words are; “a mantle to protect from the rain”, inspired by the precarious tents, which are made by the local lumberjacks, in the forest. With nylon tensioned by threads, and sometimes with a central pillar to let the water run off the simple construction. The word “water” is the second poetic word that guides the design. The geometrical composition of the water molecule was studied. Thus the idea of three connected elements joined under a great mantle, to create the necessary protection for the rain.
photography by © Daniel Corvillón
One of the members of the family has a mobility problem, which leads to a project presented in a single story, all at the same level, connected and integrated. The house stands on a structure of steel pillars, which take the shape of the landscape, creating a space underneath, for the service facilities, a barbecue area, and hot tub. The central element of the first level, is the access and common area, with the kitchen integrated with the dining and living room, raised in the concept of “a-loft – a mix of the North American loft with the traditional shed of the south of Chile. In the lateral elements, the bedrooms are located so that they converge to the center in a smooth and fluid way. Accesses to the bedrooms are done with hidden doors, to maintain the continuity of the walls and create an open and spatial volume. All accesses are done in steel ramps with a wood cladding, to allow for wheelchair access.
photography by © Daniel Corvillón
This mix of local and contemporary typologies is made using a contemporary language, with the picturesque views offered by the place and the location in the landscape. Language achieved through these pavilions, linked together by the “mantle”, geometrized fuselage, coated on the outside in steel plates worked in situ, which were left to oxidized naturally and were then sealed once they took the desired color. The interior is done leaving all the geometry of the mantle exposed, achieving an average height of 5 to 6m, which gives the space a great nobility.
The interiors are lined with native woods, recycled from old sheds and local houses, which has been dismantled due to poor condition, or because a new building will be made in its place. This is a way to build a contemporary house, anchored to tradition, with iconic typologies of southern Chile. The use of these recycled woods allows for several type sofnativewood, such as oak, rauli, coihue, and Laurel, which gives the house a reddish tonality, that interacts perfectly with the rest of the steel structure. The floor is entirely rauli wood, andallthewindowsaremadeintheplace, with Pellin wood (old oak).
photography by © Daniel Corvillón
The interior design is in dialogue with the architecture and uses resources to increase space in the bedrooms, as for example, in the bathrooms the showers have printed photos of a forest, looking to bring the outside to the interior. Finishes and furniture elements, such as benches and coat racks, are used to complete the architecture. These are made by the sculptor Jessica Torres. Along with the lighting and lamps, which are placed to highlight the spatiality of the volume and geometry of the house. Finally, the decoration, subtracted from elements, follows the same conceptual dialogue proposed by architecture and landscaping under the house, dramatizing the suspension in a topography of riverbed and plants.
This is how, through a singular minimalist form, this work becomes a contemporary dialogue with the landscape, highlighting and enhancing its enormous beauty and magnitude.
Project Info:
Architects: Cazú Zegers
Location: Lago Ranco, Chile
Associate Architect 1: Gabriel Rudolphy
Associate Architect 2: Ian-Hsu
Area: 8138.37 ft2
Project Year: 2018
Photographs: Ian-Hsu, Daniel Corvillón
Manufacturers: Jessica Torres, Dell’Orto (Esteban Guzmán y Roberto Rodríguez), Fabián González, Atika
Project Name: LLU House
