This two family house is located in “Las Palmas”, a rural village 30 minutes east from the city of Medellín. The site is surrounded by beautiful pine forests and native vegetation
The village is comprised mostly of modest self-built houses with humble materials and traditional means and methods; gable roofs, eaves and balconies are the main architectural elements of these constructions.
In most cases, these self-built homes take years to finish, mainly because this is a low income community and they build insofar they can raise the resources needed.
As an answer to this condition, the main idea was to conceive the house in such a way that the first phase would be the construction of the structure and the exterior shell which represent the biggest percentage of the total construction cost; and the following phases would be the interior finishes. This is how the house is currently being built since 2008.
Reduced to the essentials the building relates to this context, the design of the house respects this things, a gable roof covers the entire lot leaving just a precise gap for a courtyard at the rear of the house that brings in light and cross ventilation. The building adjusts to the topography so that the ridge of the roof predicts the continuity of the profile established by the neighboring houses.
This sculpture-like volume is a simple extruded prism which welcomes both the dawn and sunset light. The west façade facing the community garden is designed as a large etched glass and steel lattice work that will provide a soft diffuse light during the day and at night it will be a large lantern-like surface towards the exterior illuminating the garden. The east façade, with clear glass provides views towards the forest from the upper floors.
Inside, the rustic materials of the spaces will evoke the warmth aura of a cabin; outside, the black surfaces delineate a basic geometric composition of light and shadows.
