A T-Shaped Cabin Hugs a Forested Hillside in Chile
Its three arms stretch out to catch the best views of Ranco Lake and the Andes Mountains.
Its three arms stretch out to catch the best views of Ranco Lake and the Andes Mountains.
With views of massive Ranco Lake to the north and the Andes Mountains to the south, it’s no wonder that Hebra Arquitectos designed the Apfel House to capture picturesque panoramas. Located on a forested five-acre lot in Chile’s Los Rios region, the cabin is situated at the top of a small ridge overlooking the landscape—but the design also seeks to keep a relatively low profile.
Even as it stretches out from its hillside site, the single-story home keeps a low profile.
Photo: Marcos Zegers
The house is arranged in a T shape, with shared public spaces in the east wing (to the left), the primary bedroom at the western corner, and a four-bedroom residential wing (to the right) facing north.
Photo: Marcos Zegers
"Before designing this house, we went to another development nearby, and it was these tall, multistory houses with white plaster—each one visible from miles away," says architect Simón Peréz of Hebra Arquitectos. "We realized we didn't want to do something like this. We wanted a house that was part of the landscape."
Hebra drew inspiration from the rural barns of southern Chile: modest, single-story structures clad in wood. "We didn’t want to make it literal; we wanted to create a version of it in contemporary terms," Perez says. "So we decided the roof is quite important."
The small ridge on which the home is built was augmented by stacked stone retaining walls.
Photo: Marcos Zegers
See the full story on Dwell.com: A T-Shaped Cabin Hugs a Forested Hillside in Chile
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