The Cheli-de Felipe Arquitectos studio designed a house situated in an unusual location: on the edge of a ravine and surrounded by dense forest. The charac- teristic plot with a large difference in level required unconventional solutions from architects Florencia Cheli and Santiago de Felipe. The main floor of the house named Casa F was raised above the ground, allowing the space underneath the building to be used for a garage and technical rooms. This simple yet expressive design became the foundation for the entire subsequent concept.
Casa F was designed with the aim of maintaining full contact with nature. Architect Florencia Cheli emphasises that, from the outset, she wanted the residents not to lose the feeling of being immersed in the forest thicket even while inside the building. For this reason, the layout of the house is simple and functional. The communal wing houses the living room, dining area and kitchen, while the perpendicular wing houses the bedrooms and a private study. This layout promotes a natural division of the zones and opens up the house to the surrounding lush greenery.
The structural solutions of the house are based on two reinforced concrete slabs that form the floor and roof. This gives the volume a clear horizontal line, corresponding to the calm and balance of the surrounding forest. In between these slabs were infills in the form of glazed walls that open up the interiors to the views and allow for natural light. Where protection from excessive sunlight or greater privacy was needed, masonry sections of the façade finished in wood were used.
The subterranean zone played an equally important role in the design as the interiors serving the residents on a daily basis. The walls are clad in natural stone, which adds weight and stability. This also introduced a contrast between the visual lightness of the raised volume and the solid foundation firmly embedded in the ground. A storey hidden in the ground contains the garage and technical rooms.
In the building’s interiors, natural materials were consistently repeated. Concrete ceilings are juxtaposed with the warmth of wood, and large-scale glazing makes the boundary between the house and its surroundings almost invisible. Each room has been designed to offer beautiful views of the forest, so that the residents can experience the changing seasons and the rhythm of nature.
Design: Cheli-de Felipe Arquitectos
Principal architects: Florencia Cheli, Santiago de Felipe
Area: 250 sq m
Year: 2024
Photography: Andres Dominguez
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