Architect Vero?nica Arcos has used two layers of pine walls to create the angular shape of this house on the coast of Chile.

Located 180 kilometres north of the country's capital Santiago, the residence sits in a gated community called Huaquén Del Mar. The estate is perched on high cliffs, offering elevated views of the distant Pacific Ocean, and blanketed with trees.

Glimpses of the water are afforded from the site through clearings in the woodland, which the Santiago-based architect described as "windows in the forest". She gave the house a rectangular floor plan, orientated to make the most of the views.

Arcos, who has previously built another angular house in Chile, enveloped this residence in faceted walls to add drama to an otherwise simple layout. The angular forms and subtle changes in shape are created by pine planks, which are dyed dark brown to blend in with the surroundings. These are layered over an inner structure comprising pine and other wooden structural panels.

"It was intended to work with a simple volume, without convexities, and to give it expression through the double curvatures of its envelope," said Arcos.
"The second skin is the visible face of the house, and proposes a dynamic aesthetic of gradual variation, through the interpolation of wooden elements, resulting in a warped surface, both in the longitudinal facades and on the roof."

The gap between the two layers of the aptly named Two Skins House also aids n...