5 Simply Amazing South American Residences
Five getaways respond to the dynamic South American landscape.
1. Itaipava Weekend House by Miguel Pinto Guimarães Associated Architects
This 8,200-square-foot weekend house is located in the highlands about an hour and a half’s drive from Rio de Janeiro. The house is meant to be invisible upon first glance; its grass roof camouflages it with the hillside that surrounds the house. Many Rio-based families choose Itaipava for weekend getaways in the mountains. “Most Brazilians think of a Swiss chalet,” architect Pinto Guimarães explains, but he wanted to challenge the notion of a traditional Brazilian mountain destination. “You can still have cozy and rustic in a contemporary language.”
2. Ghat House by Max Núñez Arquitectos
This beachfront property in Cachagua, Chile, was chosen by clients that wanted a different type of living from their more conventional home in Santiago. And so, they sought a unique site and an avant-garde design for their weekend beach house. Architect Max Núñez designed the 3,660-square-foot house to span the full slope of the beachfront bluff it sits upon. “The concept was to create a home defined by the existing site conditions and the incredible slope,” Núñez says.
3. Yoga Retreat by WMR Arquitectos
The hillside retreat in Matanzas, Chile, offers a Sea Ranch vibe in the single-level, slope-roofed house on the side of a steep grassy ridge, overlooking the beach. WMR Arquitectos designed the 1,500-square-foot house with a light-as-air structure perfect for practicing sun salutations and yoga poses against the breathtaking mountain backdrop.
4. Chilean Beach House by WMR Arquitectos
WMR Arquitectos designed this beach house on Chile’s central coast as a getaway for filmmaker and surfer Cristian Merello. The 1,300-square-foot oceanfront residence, including an alfresco 7½ foot skateboard ramp, is comprised of double-glazed transparent glass panels, giving Merello and his wife clear views of the Pacific Ocean and Pichilemu Beach from inside.
5. São Paolo House by Studio MK27
Architect Marcio Kagan is known for designing homes within his minimalist style, however for this São Paolo property, he expanded his traditional themes. This multi-level 11,000-square-foot L-shaped house by Studio MK27 plays with different degrees of transparency and openness by using glass stacking doors, carvedintoa lattice work, accordion doors, and a glass-walled pavilion.
