{"id":373161,"date":"2025-08-25T20:11:21","date_gmt":"2025-08-25T20:11:21","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/373161\/"},"modified":"2025-08-25T20:11:21","modified_gmt":"2025-08-25T20:11:21","slug":"light-air-and-shadow-are-core-design-tools-for-chilean-courtyard-house","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/373161\/","title":{"rendered":"Light, air and shadow are &#8220;core design tools&#8221; for Chilean courtyard house"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>Chilean studio Paralelo Transversal has utilised passive strategies, including\u00a0multiple <a href=\"https:\/\/www.dezeen.com\/tag\/courtyards\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">courtyards<\/a> for ventilation, in the design of a house oriented around a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.dezeen.com\/tag\/skylights\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">skylight<\/a> on the outskirts of <a href=\"https:\/\/www.dezeen.com\/tag\/santiago\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Santiago<\/a>, Chile.<\/p>\n<p>Casa con Lucarna was completed in 2024 with 3,250 square feet (302 square metres) of interior space, divided by open-air bays that help it cool in the warm climate.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;Casa con Lucarna was inspired by the need to respond to a hot climate using passive strategies \u2013 light, air and shadow as the core design tools,&#8221; the team at <a href=\"https:\/\/www.paralelotransversal.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Paralelo Transversal<\/a> told Dezeen.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-2239817 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/casa-con-lucarna-paralelo-transversal-chile_dezeen_2364_col_3-852x1136.jpg\" alt=\"Wooden House with skylight\" width=\"1773\" height=\"2364\"  \/>Paralelo Transversal has created a house using passive cooling strategies in Chile<\/p>\n<p>The focal point of the house is a large skylight \u2013 or lucarna \u2013 that brings softened, natural light into the main living space, located at the centre of the house, which is divided into organising modules.<\/p>\n<p>The skylight juts out of the roof as the only vertical element of the otherwise horizontal design.<\/p>\n<p>A triangular truss, supported on black steel columns, holds the profile of the skylight, which has frosted glass to dilute the light as it streams into the seating area below.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-2239816 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/casa-con-lucarna-paralelo-transversal-chile_dezeen_2364_col_2-852x639.jpg\" alt=\"Couetyard with greenery and slats above in Chile\" width=\"2364\" height=\"1773\"  \/>The house features multiple courtyards<\/p>\n<p>Shaded patios separate interior programs and promote cross ventilation, while deep overhangs reduce heat gain. With no active systems, the house relies on its arrangement for thermal comfort.<\/p>\n<p>The house is organised in a gradient from public to private with the social areas \u2013 outdoor terraces and a barbecue area \u2013 located on the eastern end of the plan, moving through family spaces of the living, dining and kitchen areas in the centre, to the bedrooms on the western side.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-2239824 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/casa-con-lucarna-paralelo-transversal-chile_dezeen_2364_col_10-852x639.jpg\" alt=\"Skylight and courtyards in Chilean house\" width=\"2364\" height=\"1773\"  \/>A central skylight is a significant vertical element that brings light into the living space<\/p>\n<p>The planted patios are framed in floor-to-ceiling panes of glass, allowing views through the home.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;At the far end lies the main bedroom, which overlooks the rest of the house and includes an exterior bathroom protected by a slatted wood screen that shields the west-facing facade from the sun,&#8221; the studio said.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;The result is both functional and climatically effective.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-2239815 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/casa-con-lucarna-paralelo-transversal-chile_dezeen_2364_col_1-852x639.jpg\" alt=\"Steel truss in the middle of a living room\" width=\"2364\" height=\"1773\"  \/>The house has a steel structure visible inside<\/p>\n<p>The\u00a0steel framework is elevated above the ground to enhance ventilation.<\/p>\n<p>Warm wooden cladding fills in the framework as vertical boards and screens.<\/p>\n<p>\t\t\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/www.dezeen.com\/2023\/07\/27\/joanne-koch-wooden-cabin-renovation\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><br \/>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<img loading=\"lazy\" width=\"191\" height=\"191\" src=\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/joanne-koch-sea-ranch-cabin-architecture-sq5-191x191.jpg\" class=\"excludeLightbox wp-post-image\" alt=\"House in Sea Ranch\" decoding=\"async\" data-pin-nopin=\"true\"  \/><\/p>\n<p> Joanne Koch adds cantilevered deck during Sea Ranch cabin renovation\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n<p>\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/a><\/p>\n<p>The standard-sized materials optimised cost and construction. A concrete walkway, raised just one step above the ground, connects the various outdoor spaces and separates the house from the lawn and gravel driveway.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;Exterior colors and materials \u2013 mainly wood \u2013 were selected to blend into the natural surroundings, while white interiors reflect light and enhance brightness,&#8221; the studio said.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-2239814 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/casa-con-lucarna-paralelo-transversal-chile_dezeen_2364_col_0-852x639.jpg\" alt=\"Slightly opaque skylight\" width=\"2364\" height=\"1773\"  \/>The skylight is slightly opaque to soften the light<\/p>\n<p>A minimised interior palette with \u2013 soft white walls, natural wood floors, black metal accents and framed wooden doorways \u2013 emphasises spatial flow and the home&#8217;s light, which was seen as a material itself, the studio explained.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;The combination of a compact, efficient plan with a strong compositional gesture \u2013 the lucarna \u2013 gives the house a distinct identity while remaining simple and cost-conscious,&#8221; the studio said.<\/p>\n<p>Other homes recently constructed that centre around skylights include a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.dezeen.com\/2025\/07\/07\/ogawa-fisher-architects-house-light-shadow-california\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">California home<\/a> with an underground workshop by Ogawa Fisher Architects, a rural <a href=\"https:\/\/www.dezeen.com\/2025\/05\/11\/agricultural-sheds-inform-home-new-zealand-keshaw-mcarthur\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">New Zealand home<\/a> with large circular openings in the roof by Kenshaw McArthur and the renovation of a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.dezeen.com\/2025\/04\/24\/shed-portland-house-renovation-skylight\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">1960s Oregon house<\/a> by SHED Architecture &amp; Design.<\/p>\n<p>The photography is by <a href=\"https:\/\/marcoszegers.cl\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Marcos Zegers<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Project Credits:<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>Architecture:<\/strong> Paralelo Transversal<br \/><strong>Lead architects:<\/strong> Sebasti\u00e1n Silva, Mat\u00edas Baeza<br \/><strong>Construction:<\/strong> Constructora Dewman<br \/><strong>Collaborators:<\/strong> Juan Pablo Per\u00f3<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Chilean studio Paralelo Transversal has utilised passive strategies, including\u00a0multiple courtyards for ventilation, in the design of a house&hellip;\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":373162,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3939],"tags":[4021,4020,29429,130552,130551,4022,77,130553,17022,126129,126130,78112,16,15],"class_list":{"0":"post-373161","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-arts-and-design","8":"tag-arts","9":"tag-arts-and-design","10":"tag-chile","11":"tag-chilean-houses","12":"tag-courtyards","13":"tag-design","14":"tag-entertainment","15":"tag-passivhaus","16":"tag-residential-architecture-and-interiors","17":"tag-sectionall","18":"tag-sectionarchitecture","19":"tag-skylights","20":"tag-uk","21":"tag-united-kingdom"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@uk\/115091229035108715","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/373161","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=373161"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/373161\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/373162"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=373161"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=373161"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=373161"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}