Designed by GITC Arquitectura in 2014, Casa El Maqui rests on the eastern hillside of El Maqui Brook, a rural corner of the Chilean Coastal Range. The 3,013-square-foot residence consists two glass-encased bases bridged by a rectangular timber-clad unit.

The home is clad in timber and built with reinforced concrete and steel. On the ground level, the main living areas are enclosed by sliding glass walls, which open the space up while inviting cool breezes inside. Wooden platforms stretch across the surrounding gardens, which incorporate a sunken biofilter pond, a pool, a sauna, and a hot tub.

“These water features and their specific aquatic plants made possible a flooded garden, excavated on the hillside, directly in contact with the common areas,” explains the firm. “The flooded garden also provides an important cooling effect that helps control and manage the summer’s high temperatures.”

Branching out from the double-height living area, the upper level contains three spacious bedrooms, along with a master suite. Designed in a linear fashion, each room frames picturesque views of the encompassing landscape. A long, spacious terrace provides access to the outdoors.

To avoid damaging the area’s rich ecosystem, the home was built on a damaged hillside without vegetation. “This new landscaping project should help recover the area,” adds the firm. An orchard with over 700 Avocado trees has also been also planted on the property.

Casa El Maqui in Quilpue, Valparaiso, Chile, is currently listed for 749,000,000 Chilean Pesos (~$1,054,000) by Patricio Saavedra of Chile Sotheby's International Realty.

Project Credits:

Architect: GITC arquitectura / @gitc_cl

Structural Engineer: Roberto Soto

Electrical Engineer: Rodrigo García Pino

Sanitary Engineer: Mauricio Bonnefoy

Lighting Designer: Sebastián Díaz R.

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