haiko cornelissen architecten: air villa in panama

the ‘air villa’ in panama by dutch practice haiko cornelissen architecten in collaboration with local studio casis arquitectos challenge the current morphology of the summer home to create a new residential typology more flexible and attune to its natural environment. starting construction early next year, the architects shared with us an exclusive preview of the project with a short video describing the design process. the typical concept behind a house consists of a collection of spaces separated by interior partitions and enclosed within a peripheral vertical wall that tends to create a disconnect between the interior and exterior programs.

video © haiko cornelissen architecten

air villa takes this concept and turns it sideways, aligning the program in a linear manner so that each space has an equal connection to the exterior, formed by an extruded section that integrates certain fixtures into the primary structure. sliding wooden doors form the crux of the project, sliding to individually isolate or expose individual elements or the interior as a whole. the temporary state of the exterior enclosure creates a new relationship between the inhabitant and the site, provoking a deeper understanding of one another to live better integrated.

image © wemake3d

image © wemake3d

image © wemake3d

image © wemake3d

image © wemake3d

image © wemake3d

image © wemake3d

image © wemake3d

floor plan / level 0 : closed doors along one side

floor plan / level 1 : closed doors both sides

section

section

concept evolution

project info:

site: cerro azul, panama
year: 2013
program: private house
area: 800 sf
status: commission
team: haiko cornelissen with casis arquitectos
perspectives: wemake3d