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The holiday home Casa Techos near the town of Villa la Angostura in Argentina’s Andean Patagonia is set in a beauty spot amidst a landscape of lakes, forests and snow-capped mountains. The architecture echoes and enhances its magnificent location overlooking lake Nahuel Huapi whose south side hosts the well-known winter resort of San Carlos de Bariloche.
Designed by Chilean architect Mathias Klotz, the villa stands squarely on a flat grassy woodland clearing. The south façade overlooks the lake while the north side abuts onto sharply sloping terrain. The building comprises two linear elements set one on top of the other, their different architectural features reflecting their different functions.
The main living area on the upper level is reached from the side backing up against the slope by means of a simple pedestrian bridge. Inside, a large open living room faces southward while three bedrooms occupy the west wing. The ground floor serves as the plinth for this upper storey that cantilevers decisively over the lawn, its floor slab in full view. In contrast, the east side of the lower level seems to emerge from the sloping terrain. Stone slab cladding along part of the walls adds to the impression that the building rises out of the earth. The lower floor houses the service zones, gym, two small, self-contained guest quarters, and a rectangular indoor swimming pool. A full-height glazed outer wall allows views onto the outside while the inner wall is clad in the same irregular pattern of stone slabs as the lower perimeter walls.
The architectural programme had to comply with local roof-pitch regulations. Instead of steep pitches, which would have raised the height of the roof and closed the volume underneath, the architect opted for a series of sawtooth lights set parallel to the long side. As well as complying with local building requirements, the design is fully in keeping with the streamline linear geometry of the whole building. Together with...
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