Casa 14 Elita - Pereira 2020 - Yemail Arquitectura

Project Details

House 14 Elita – Pereira 2020

DESCRIPTION

La Elita is a single-family housing project located in a rural area near the city of Pereira, along the highway connecting to Armenia, at an elevation of 1,411 meters above sea level. The project can be sintetized by the question of architecture's potential to invent a new ground on a "non-existent" site. We refer to a residual plot featuring a small, trapezoidal plateau that drops off abruptly.

For the implantation, we adopted a tightrope walker’s strategy: positioning the structure on the ridge while leaving the space behind for the entrance, circulation paths, and gardens that screen access points and buffer the relationship with the neighborhood. To the front, the design opens up to explore near and distant landscape views via three cantilevered platforms, each engaging in a unique dialogue with a vista that merges the mountain with the city. Further down, the topography creates a series of spaces at varying levels, linked by a path that leads to a river and a guadua forest native to the valley.

In the relationship between a levitating structure and rugged terrain, there are several moments where the underside of the structure forms a "fifth facade," revealing the pillars, anchors, and retaining elements. The house’s skeletal nature is reinforced by our collaboration with Esmon Estructuras, a company specializing in metal structures for bridges and infrastructure, which saw this project as an opportunity to venture into the residential sector. The combination of their expertise in standardized, factory based construction methods and our ongoing interest in making the structure the defining feature of the spatial experience results in a jagged form organized into three volumes: two at the ends containing second-floor bedrooms, and a central, double height volume that links the social areas with the entrance and circulation paths.

DETAILS

Use

Housing

Area

239 m²

Location

Pereira, Risaralda – Colombia

Meters above sea level

1411

Average annual temperature:

18.8 °C

Year

2020

Design and construction

Yemail Architecture

Structural design

Esmon

Project team

Antonio Yemail + Jimmi Palacio

Photo credits

Yeferson Bernal

Categories: 2.1 Rural, Housing