Spotted at Plataforma Arquitectura, this simple and elegant vacation retreat sits in Santa Elena near Arvi Natural Park, Colombia as a complement to the gentle landscape. Architect Antonio Sofan snuggled the 106 square meter home into the hillside and incorporated a large outdoor deck onto the roof, significantly increasing the home’s living space with a minimum of land disturbance. A pink mosaic tile wall on the decked roof beacons visitors to the unique entrance, and provocative pixelated window treatments help keep the design light.
The home has no cooling or heating system thanks in part to its orientation — windows allow the sun the warm the house during the cooler winter months without baking it in the summer. The recessed home also stays cool as a result of the temperate climate and earth-bermed walls. Reused beams help support the concrete roof. The thin roof was cast in place using bamboo boxes as forms, leaving a unique impression on the ceiling. Up above, the-full length deck overlooks the valley. The interior is finished off with cork flooring throughout.
Photos by Carlos Tobon
I don’t know that I would actually term this as either “simple ” or “elegant” (sounds a bit like a real estate brochure), and it most certainly isn’t “nestled” from what I can see in the photos. It’s an intrusive box barley stuck onto the hillside where it’s position looks very unstable, and therefore uncomfortable. The fact that it has a bit of earth berming and recycled this and that does not make it noteworthy by any stretch of the imagination. In 2010, I’d hope we can do far better.