An external walkway and glazed living space are hidden behind sliding slatted woodwork in this house in Chile, designed by architects Santiago Valdivieso and Stefano Rolla.
Rolla and Valdivieso completed the house on Punta Pite, an arm on the Central Chilean coast stretched toward the Pacific Ocean. The architects describe the house as sitting on "a rocky and stormy cliff between two small bays".
Sliding slatted woodwork panels enclose Engawa House
Called Engawa House, it is composed of a glass and black steel volume that extends from a cliff to rest on slanted, bold red supports.
Sliding, slatted doors made from the Chilean wood Raulí wrap the house on three sides, giving the residents the option of privacy and natural light, or to open the residence entirely to the exterior views. They are designed to give the house privacy
"The idea of the project is to generate a house that allows to work both as a refuge and as the opposite; a panorama," said the architects.
"Thus, rather than generating a static relationship with the territory, it creates a medium for change."
Engawa House is raised on slanted, bold red supports
The walkway between the glazed structure and slatted wood gives the house its name, Engawa, which is the wooden edging strip typically found in Japanese architecture.
"This intermediate space is the main feature of our project," Rolla added.
The architects said the enclosed walkway is the main feature of the property
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