The project was conceived taking into account the pre-existing landscape: a little piece of land in the mountains of Lima, in the valley of Santa Eulalia. A fruit orchard covers an important part of the land. The house plans took into consideration these details and for that reason the house was build in a way as to prevent the cutting of the pre-existing trees.
Within the land there was an irrigation ditch, a very unique feature to the land but which at the same time presented a dangerous situation due to its high flow volume and deep channel. We were concerned about the idea of children playing freely, so we expanded its course and turned it into a very shallow creek.
It is a 2-story house: the ground floor is made of stone, using material and workforce from the area, built preserving the style of the stonewall constructions of this area. The upper floor is made of wood, produced in a sustainable way and certificated, recreating the contour of the mountains around the valley.
The house is oriented according to the sun, so it accumulates the sun’s radiation in the massive stonewalls and has cross ventilation in all of its spaces.
The water used for the house and swimming pool is heated by solar panels situated on the rooftop; the sewage water is treated ‘in situ’ by two biofilters that is then seeped to irrigate the roots of the main trees.
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