Huentelauquen House

Architect: FG Arquitectos

The Huentelauquen Project is located in a valley 400km north of Santiago.
A garden for a secluded house perched on a cliff. The architecture itself is built on the slopes of the cliff located over a small river mouth, a wide beach and the Pacific Ocean.

The nature of the house means that it is below the top of the rock face; therefore, the roof of the house coincides with the upper level of the cliffs. Soil was brought in and the roof was planted with local species so that the landscape continues towards the roof of the house. In this way, the construction scar was masked and the original cliff-top landscape was preserved.

Wooden paths with railway sleepers are laid out on the rock, allowing easy walking to the edge of this spectacular headland. A square seat interrupts the path line and is placed around a square cut in the rock that serves as a fire pit. This feature brings people together around the heat of the fire and towards the misty seascape.

The railroad ties were carefully laid out with subtle gaps between each sleeper that lend the composition lightness, as if the wooden path was floating on rock. Similarly, to soften and lighten the headland, some Calendrinsa and other succulents were planted in a few hollows in the rock.

The path that leads to the house is marked by a simple composition of seven stones, the sculptural aspect of these acts as a special landmark in the peaceful landscape and they refer to the traditional rock marks within landscapes such as menhirs, cairns, etc. These seven stones subtly mark the point of arrival; they are the poetic welcome to Huentelauquen.