It's been 30 years since we started designing houses. Casa Zapallar Norte is unique and unrepeatable, and so are all our houses. Each one has a particular story to tell; each house is a case, a novel.
This new narrative begins with the clients and their way of life, their dreams and visions for their new seaside home. We had a meeting at their house, where they told us that they were a family with five children, all of them sports enthusiasts, sociable, and homey, good at cooking and grilling, and fond of inviting their friends and family. We got to know their children, their favorite places, and those that were not as favored.
We visited the site to understand another dimension of this story: the location. It is situated on the hillside of the Zapallar hills. To the east, it offers views of the native forest, and to the west, there are views of the sea and the rocky shore where the waves crash. In the summer, cold and forceful winds come up from the south and chill the area. All these elements were integrated into the architecture of the house.
We returned to Santiago, and a few days later, the pandemic and lockdown arrived. Daily life as we knew it changed, and we weren't sure if we could achieve that more intimate relationship with our clients through remote meetings, looking at each other through a screen. The house found its way, and remote development became familiar and enjoyable.
The homeowner works on reducing the carbon footprint and asked us to incorporate energy efficiency into the design decisions. So, only two cuts of the terrain and two concrete retaining walls were made to create two terraces where a laminated wood structure would be supported, and the construction continued only in wood. Wood was also used in the exterior and interior envelope. The texture, color, temperature, and acoustic properties naturally responded to the landscape's suggestions regarding the wind, the setting sun, and the surrounding colors.
The greatest satisfaction after this pandemic-marked process was an affectionate thankful from our client, who finally enjoyed her home and fulfilled a long-held family dream.
