House of Three Elements by Swett Arquitectos in Santiago, Chile

Project: House of Three Elements
Architects: Swett Arquitectos
Location: Santiago, Chile
Photography: Felipe Fontecilla

House of Three Elements by Swett Arquitectos

Designed by Swett Arquitectos, the House of Three Elements is an impressive new home built on the remains of an existing house in Santiago, Chile. The original house was in poor condition, so most of it was demolished and replaced with modern housing.

Building the new home on a plot where a single-story house of 300 square meters previously stood, retaining only 50% of the structure and demolishing the rest, was a requirement from the client due to the poor state of the original building and its placement on the lot.

One of the client's requirements was to create a new image for the house, including a new entrance space with an interior courtyard, living areas connected to external spaces, and an independent main hall with views of the landscape.

With these three requirements, we proposed working with two main operations. First, several expansions of the first floor were needed to define different programmatic courtyards as an entrance area, barbecue zone, garden and play area. Second, almost the entire new program was placed on the second floor to free up space, using a new building material that created a fresh look for the house.

With the first operation, we defined various programmatic zones within a continuous garden. We designed a new living room and terrace, defining the barbecue and pool area. We also expanded bedroom areas and defined a play zone and private terrace.

In the second operation, we worked with three stone elements to give the house a new appearance that went beyond the flat geometry of the original structure. These three elements defined a double-height entrance, a second interconnected hall with an outdoor terrace, and finally the main hall as a symbolic volume dominating over the garden and landscape.

–Swett Arquitectos