Project: Maullin Lodge
Architects: AVON Arquitectos
Location: Chile
Area: 1,291 sf
Photographs by: Marcos Zegers
Maullin Lodge by AVON Arquitectos
Nestled in the picturesque countryside of southern Chile, the Maullin Lodge by AVON Arquitectos is a charming rural retreat that marries the old with the new. The 1,291 sf house was designed to reinterpret the traditional small southern Chilean dwelling, with two bedrooms and two bathrooms arranged around a main shared space.
The challenge was to create a traditional southern look while allowing light and the surrounding landscape to enter the building. The house is oriented to the north and west to capture the most sunlight, and the large floor-to-ceiling windows provide a stark contrast to the recycled traditional timber shingles.
The interior is designed to create a clean, continuous space by removing non-structural walls and floors. The mezzanine also provides an opportunity to use the roof space for natural heating and light. The Maullin Lodge is a delightful and harmonious blend of old and new, seamlessly integrated into the beautiful rural landscape.
This lodge is a 120m2 house located in a rural scene in a southern region of Chile. The brief was to design a house with two bedrooms and two bathrooms with a main shared space, interpreting an old small traditional southern Chilean dwelling.
The challenge of the proposal was to get that traditional southern look, which implies very opaque facades, but with a full translucent side where the landscape and light can get inside the building, creating its own private world. The house is placed between a forest of native trees, giving its back to the main street. So, the house is oriented to the north and west to get the most of sunlight, which this south down is much appreciated.
The concept of the design is organized based on 3 contrast between old and new: Removing non-structural walls and floors: the main structural shape and volume are maintained the same as the old traditional house, but the interior is liberated from any non-structural dividing element, which helped to create a clean and continuous space.
Concentrating the apertures: The main source of light is the north façade, keeping the other free opaque as a traditional southern house would have, so the proportion of void and mass was not lost. Material contrast: Big floor to ceiling windows in contrast to recycled traditional timber shingles, an evident contrast between old and new.
The distribution of the house is developed in an almost square plan, divided into three volumes: The main one has the public areas of the house: kitchen, dining room, sitting room and mezzanine. The east one, the widest, has sleeping rooms and bathrooms with the main access of the house. And the west one is 1.5m wide acting as a corridor and informal dining room adjacent to the public areas of the main volume. The mezzanine is an opportunity to use the roof space, with a lot of light and natural heating, having control over the main space.
