Estancia Morro Chico

The new family home of Estancia Morro Chico is built on a hill with a panoramic view of the vast, rolling Patagonian territory, its plains, its forests of ñires, and the pre-cordillera of the Andes in the background. Its tower-mirador rises like a new reference in the powerful landscape of the Patagonian steppe. In this panorama that evokes immensity, the strong winds shape the forms that define the steppe landscape, its rounded hills and squat hills. Large, scattered masses of stone emerge, their more angular geometry made of straight lines and ridges contrasting with the shapes of the hills softened by the wind. Inspired by this particular setting, the project revisits the type of traditional sheet metal constructions, the constructive heritage of the first settlers, adapting it to current technical and functional conditions. The facades are presented as a large envelope that extends around the living space. The volumes become denser towards the center, with its skylights and belvederes, fading out at the periphery in their lateral sides. The palette of materials - aluminium sheet metal, stone for the floors, concrete for the base, and wood that will turn grey over time - borrows from the landscape the different shades and tones of the surrounding rocks and mountains. These materials also guarantee good resistance to the harsh climate, UV rays and corrosion from water and wind. The glazed openings are concentrated in the best protected parts of the house, their frames and wooden cladding articulating the interior and exterior. The aluminum joineries were chosen for their technical qualities, good waterproofing, good resistance to the rigors of the climate - winds of more than 90 km/h and outside temperatures of -20°C - and ease of handling, as well as for the finesse of their elements framing the landscape.