looking over the town of quilanto in chile is the ‘wulf house’, a three-storey family home designed in response to its environment. taking advantage of the uninterrupted views of lake llanquihue, a natural balcony was created and the three floors distributed in a way to make the most of the terrain.
all images © nicolás saieh
on the exterior, each face of wulf house visualizes differently due to thedifferent construction systems chosen and combined in according to their role and location on the land. the construction grows from a semi-buried re-inforced concrete base and serves as the support to the rest of the house that is then built and resting on a metallic structural skeleton. this is complemented by wooden beams to give the dwelling a delicate and contemporary character.
the communal area
led by architect sebastián bruna, the residence is completed by pe+br+re arquitectos and the layout starting from a central floor containing the access and common spaces. from here, a staircase goes onto the second floor with bedrooms and roof decks, while the basement is utilized for a home office and workshop. ‘the definition of levels and sub levels is also extrapolated to the ceilings which are determined as habitable surfaces generating a fourth level viewpoint, where the condition of a balcony view-point overlooking the lake and volcanoes is accentuated.’
these three floor levels are distributed along a circulation structure, defining a floor that is oriented towards the north. this blocks strong wind path, and in turn enables the two main façades to be exposed towards the west and the east. this exposure determined the program distribution according to the receiving of natural light; illustrated with the main living places and bedrooms are orientated towards the east, and the work spaces and communal areas facing the west.
the master bedroom
the kitchen
a continuous skylight illuminates the corridor
entrance
the land’s steep slope defines a natural balcony towards lake llanquihue
the home is located in quilanto, frutillar, chile
