[ Juan Carlos Doblado ] Los Andes house

Lima-based architect Juan Carlos Doblado featured in our 2006 architect's directory. Since then, he's completed several more beach houses on Playa del Sol and this structure, a spectacular new private house in the foothills of the Andes.

The new building comprises of two concrete pavilions, one nestled into the shallow slope, the other cantilevered forwards across the site. Doblado describes the approach as using a 'simple geometry', evolved from the client's desire to create a separate guest wing. With just a single storey above a service basement, the living spaces and bedrooms are divided between two linked pavilions. The junction of the two is where you'll find the living spaces, including a family room and more formal sitting area, while the covered space in the middle forms the entrance courtyard.

To the right of the entrance, the long bedroom wing reaches out across the sloping field, containing three bedrooms alongside a glazed gallery with views back across the site. The master suite is located right at the front of the house, with two walls of glass to give it a prime view of the mountains rising above the valley floor. Two generous guest suites are set at the rear of the site, surrounded by an expansive stone terrace, complete with pool.

The relationship between inside and outside is deliberately exploited throughout the plan. 'The interior is as important as the exterior,' Doblado says, and with a wall of glass in every room, the light and mountain views flood the house. Sliding glass doors allow the external courtyard spaces to be integrated into the main living areas. Materials are straightforward; concrete walls paired with stone floors throughout, resulting in a modern house of admirable solidity and simplicity.


from  wallpaper