Lagunita House

Lagunita House
© Cristobal Palma / Estudio Palma

Lagunita House

Croxatto y Opazo Arquitectos

LEAD ARCHITECTS
Nicolas Opazo, Felipe Croxatto

STRUCTURAL ENGINEER
Luis Della Valle

PROJECT TEAM
Nicolás Opazo, Felipe Croxatto, Martin Dellatorre, José Pablo O`Ryan, Maximiliano Valle.

AREA
85 m²

COLLABORATORS
Martin Dellatorre, Jose Pablo O’Ryan, Maximiliano Valle

YEAR
2023

LOCATION
La Laguna, Chile

CATEGORY
Houses

The Lagunita House is a second home project located in Laguna Zapallar, Zapallar commune, 183km northwest of Santiago. The "Laguna de Zapallar" area is located on the north side of Maitencillo, divided by the estuary of the Catapilco River. It borders the Cachagua Spa to the north, "Playa La Laguna" to the west, and Ruta E-30 to the east.

Lagunita House
© Cristobal Palma / Estudio Palma
Lagunita House
© Cristobal Palma / Estudio Palma

The project is located on a 300m2 plot of land, with the north and south sides measuring 10m wide and the east and west sides measuring 30m long. The land has a 25° slope that rises from the south side, which borders the street, to the north side.

The project's strategy aims to make use of the entire plot of land, dividing the surface into 3 main platforms contained by two concrete walls that shape and support the hillside. The first platform, or level 1, houses the arrival parking spaces, directly connected to the vehicular circulation.

Lagunita House
© Cristobal Palma / Estudio Palma
Lagunita House
© Cristobal Palma / Estudio Palma

An exterior wooden staircase allows for access to the second level, which is elevated 3 meters above the street. Here, a simple white wooden cube measuring 7m x 7m in plan and 5.5m high houses the entire housing program, allowing for a simple and economical structural solution. A third level is located at the highest part of the land, featuring a terrace with views towards Maitencillo, Playa Laguna, and the town of Laguna.

Upon entering the house, the living room, dining room, and kitchen program are integrated and completely covered in 1x4" raw insigna pine, treated with a soft white wash of paint. A large part of the south side becomes hermetic, providing privacy in its relationship with the exterior. Towards the north, six large Oregon pine windows open up, incorporating a small decorative patio, allowing for an expansion of the spatial sensation and dressing the interior with vegetation.

Lagunita House
© Cristobal Palma / Estudio Palma
Lagunita House
© Cristobal Palma / Estudio Palma

To connect the second level of the house, a mixed staircase was designed. It advances with a first section made of planed pine wood, both the structure and the envelope, and then fans out and connects to a second folded metal section that is 5mm thick, reinforced on its lower side with triangular metal ribs welded to the main body of the structure.

On the second level, the bedrooms are oriented towards the north, offering views towards the hillside and incorporating the vegetation of the garden and neighboring plots of land. The large window facing south/west extends towards the street through a covered terrace that facets and turns towards the sea, becoming a large lighthouse that gently incorporates the afternoon light, warmly bathing the wooden walls inside the house.

Lagunita House
© Cristobal Palma / Estudio Palma


Lagunita House
Northwest elevation
Lagunita House
Southeast elevation
Lagunita House
Southwest elevation
Lagunita House
Northeast elevation


Lagunita House
Section AA
Lagunita House
Section BB


Lagunita House
First floor plan
Lagunita House
Second floor plan
Lagunita House
Site plan