The VER House is located in the suburban setting of Santiago de Chile, where nature has a strong presence and the dialogue between nature and the city is an essential element inarchitectural intervention.
Initially the location and orientation of the house was primarily dictated by condominium regulations, leading us to search for alternative strategies that would ensure the desired levels of natural light, views, and privacy requested in the assignment.The initial request sought low light conditions, preferring to favora privileged view.
Thus,the new approach created a house pierced by nature,with the integration ofinterior courtyards, allowing the enclosures to have an ideal view as well ashigh levels of natural light. In regards to volumetric space, the first floor stands as the base,establishing thespace, while the second floor is a box that sits freely above. Both spacesmeet in the courtyards where the materiality of the second floor descends, surrounding the walls of the first floor and increasing the sense of verticality of these spaces that are open to the sky. Light gathers from the northern facade, where windows are first hidden then exposed to capture the desired luminosity. The view on this façade isdenied to give needed privacy to the site from the street. However the south façade is completely open to appreciate the view of the mountains, starting from the private patio’s of the house. Materiality seeks to strengthen volumetric decisions andsupport the program by being constructively consequent, for which the target volume of the first floor, constructed of reinforced masonry,accommodates the public areas, leaving the second floor as a single volumetric space, containing the master bedroom and its dependencies, transforming it into a place of tranquility with ideal panoramic views. In the latter space, the wood is worked with a ventilated façade, which considerably improves the thermal performance of the house, which when supportedby the courtyards creates an energy-efficient architecture and an improved level of comfort for the inhabitants.
