San Esteban House by Bedodostudio in Chile

Project: San Esteban House
Architects: Bedodostudio
Location: Chile
Area: 1,506 sq ft
Photography: Enrique Sosa Valencia

San Esteban House by Bedodostudio

The San Esteban House, designed by Bedodostudio in Chile, is located in the picturesque town of San Esteban, secluded among the Andes foothills. The house is strategically positioned on a steep terrain offering breathtaking views of the Andean mountain range.

The main concept of the house revolves around a large roof or canopy that shelters the living spaces. Each room is directly connected to the surrounding landscape through glass facades which can open and close, enabling seamless interaction between interior spaces, bright terraces, and semi-open balconies all protected by the roof overhang. The roof naturally emerges from the ground, creating varying heights within the interior against a perimeter glass facade. Metal columns support the roof at different elevations while maintaining horizontal structure.

San Esteban is a small rural town located in the Andes foothills of the Valparaiso region in Chile, about an hour north of Santiago. The house sits on very steep terrain offering spectacular views of the Andean range.

The main idea behind the house includes one large wing or canopy protecting the residential program. Each room directly connects to the landscape through a glass facade that can move inward or outward, allowing internal spaces to communicate with bright terraces and semi-open balconies all protected by the roof overhang. The roof or canopy arises from the natural ground level with a slope that creates higher interior spaces against the perimeter glass facade. To maintain horizontal continuity, all internal walls and volumes are kept at the same height while the roof or canopy is supported by metal columns that extend to different elevations according to the roof slope.

As seen at first glance, without any decoration — this is how we prefer to describe the material use concept which mainly consists of concrete, wood and steel. Materials are applied as simply as possible: plain concrete for walls and floors, pine boards for the facade without lacquer or paint, and primer on boards for terraces. Regarding metals, black color was chosen to harmonize with the texture and appearance of steel and aluminum used in glass walls.

In this philosophy, the house gently touches the topography of the site and its roof acts as a finishing element aligning with the surface, minimizing the impact of the house on the environment and nature.

-Bedodostudio