Home renovations and upgrades typically involve painting the house, re-tiling the bathroom floor or converting the garage into a room for Grandma. But when presented with the opportunity to re-vamp an existing house in Casablanca, Chile, architects Jose Ulloa Davet and Delphine Ding didn’t shy away from taking the route of Extreme Home Makeover. As striking as the views that surround it, the two architects were able to transform a lackluster 90’s beach house into a gorgeous, angular construction overlooking the South Pacific.
Dubbed Metamorphosis 1, the house has been renovated as a two-level, single volume unit using the walls of the former construction as its structural frame. The spaces have been reorganized in a helical path, extending both the usable indoor and outdoor living spaces. Along the curving path, two panoramic terraces and an elongated sheltered deck have been added.
The façade itself has been rhythmically clad in 2, 4 and 6 inch wood slats making the house appear almost as a natural extension of the existing landscape – airy and serene, strong yet soft – as if it were always meant to be, aging to perfection. The choice implementation of wood on the outside of the structure also serves to reduce the visual mass of the 2-level house, which at nearly 2,000 sq ft can hardly be considered small. But it’s not just about appearances. Keeping in mind the environmental stress caused by the proximity of the ocean, the wooden skin was consciously designed to aerate and deflect the accumulation of water and moisture in the structural walls.
The interior is quite beautiful as well. The warm wood interior glows marvelously in the natural light, perfectly complimenting the ample and large windows punctuated throughout the house, looking out onto the untouched landscape. We can’t help but be captivated by the images alone – this is the kind of house design dreams are made of!
+ Jose Ulloa Davet
+ Delphine Ding
Via Arch Daily
Metroplis’ snarky editor notwithstanding (see http://www.metropolismag.com/pov/20090622/an-open-letter-to-dwell-magazine ), very nice.
If I didn’t know otherwise, I’d have guessed it was in Northern California.