Located in Cachagua, in the Valparaíso Region of Chile, the Max Nunez Architects Ghat House (previously known as House Z) is made of concrete, glass and wood. The recently completed 340 m² meter home sits on a 25 degree incline and faces the Pacific Ocean.
Max Nunez Architects Ghat House
the following description of the home is provided by the architect:
The house is located over a terrain with a 25º incline facing the Pacific Ocean. Its design, structure, internal organization, and the lifestyle within it, were determined by the preexisting conditions of the topography.
The inclined surface of the roof is parallel to the natural slope of the site and it’s occupied by a large stair with unusual proportions for a domestic design.
A closer look at the living garden planted on the rooftop:
Below this oblique plane, a diagonal interior space contains the different rooms of the house. The monotony of the free plan is redefined by the slope, creating an interior topography of varying levels with different sizes and heights.
The roof is supported by 15 concrete columns of different sizes and shapes. Their geometry was determined by their structural needs and its heterogeneous shapes manage to individualize each column as a singular element, avoiding the reading of a rigid structural grid ordering the plan. Each column generates a particular point in space and the framing of the landscape between them is always diverse.
Four lighter volumes clad in wood intersect with the surface of the roof and the space below it. Three of these volumes contain the private rooms. The fourth and smaller room has direct access to the roof from the inside. These volumes are located under, beside, and above the roof, establishing ambiguous relations between the private and public areas of the house.
Main Living Area:
Kitchen:
The Swimming Pool:
House plans:
Architects: Max Núñez
Associate Architect: Stefano Rolla
Location: Cachagua, V Region, Chile
Finished: January 2016
Structural Engineer: Mauricio Ahumada
Building Contractor: Francisco Alvarez
Landcape Design: Alejandra Marambio
Technical Inspection: Alfonso Bravo
Lighting Design: Estudio Par
Built Surface: 340 m²
Photographs: Roland Halbe
House plans courtesy of Assoc. Architect Stefano Rolla, All other images by Roland Halbe, some courtesy of Max Núñez