Noted Chilean architecture practice Pezo von Ellrichshausen, the same studio that delivered a striking pair of vertical concrete towers earlier this year, has a new concrete showpiece. Designed to satisfy the client's wishes for a horizontal living arrangement (tricky, given the sloped site next to a lagoon), the top-heavy Casa Guna in rural San Pedro de la Paz loads most of the living space on the second floor, and comes off looking like some sort of intimidating but somehow elegant watchtower.
Indeed, every room has windows that open out to the calming landscape of lagoon and eucalyptus forest; some even have glazing on the floor. The lower level contains four rooms, including a utility room and dining area. The upper level, accessed via a spiral staircase, places all the bedrooms and other living spaces around a central courtyard, which is actually the roof of the bottom level. And in a descent reminiscent of some exploration of ancient ruins, a stepped route down to the waterfront has been carved out of one corner of the courtyard. A closer look, below.
· Pezo von Ellrichshausen's Casa Guna
is a top-heavy house beside a lagoon [Dezeen]
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· All Pezo von Ellrichshausen coverage [Curbed National]