South America Architecture and Design

Architect Pedro Ferrazini wrapped the residence in a permeable metal frame and perched it on a small plinth, making it appear weightless.

Hernán Landolfo created natural transitions and a mazelike plan complete with lushly planted courtyards and rooftop terraces.

It combines a courtyard, patios, a hole-punched roof, and a pool with beach views but can be buttoned up in winter to create warm, cozy interiors.

Viento Norte Arquitectura toyed with the traditional gable by including an abundance of glazing on every side.

The design team largely restored the 50-year-old space, but a more open plan accentuates its hallmark feature and views of Sāo Paulo.

Its U-shaped plan hunkers down into the bluff, creating a protected courtyard at the rear with sight lines through the living area of the Pacific Ocean.

The yakisugi-clad home’s downhill facade is floor-to-ceiling glass that opens onto decking with a plein-air vista.

Hebra Arquitectos elevates a remote retreat on columns to minimize its impact on the surrounding landscape.

The principals of Max-A Arquitectura use off-the-shelf materials to create a cozy refuge in the Los Lagos region.

Designed by and for an architect couple and their little daughter, Casa Macarena is the latent result of a fusion between origin, dynamics, and technic.

Set on eight-foot stilts, this highly insulated island home provides a Buenos Aires couple with an off-grid escape.

Architect Rafael Ramos turned a cramped 700-square-foot flat in Rio de Janeiro into a finely tuned space infused with his client’s personal style.

Its vertical timber siding melds with surrounding eucalyptus, but after dark, painted yellow interiors light up the night.

A wall of French accordion doors brings in fresh breezes while flora inside and out buffers the interiors from humidity and heat.

An open living area on the second level features floor-to-ceiling windows at the front and rear, linking expansive views of the ocean and countryside.

The remains of a newsstand now wrap a verdant courtyard and a new steel-framed home.

A tiny cabin built as a refuge during the pandemic features a wood-burning stove and hot tub, an outdoor firepit, and a parrilla for cooking over open flame.

At a 1970s flat, architect Ana Sawaia knocked down interior walls for a more open plan and infused it with light, soft colors, and budget-friendly finishes.

Furnishings and plants add pops of color that complement the Brazilian home’s original features.

A couple spruce up a dilapidated dwelling in an industrial area with a living roof, emerald tile, and plants, plants, plants.

Architects Nicolás Tovo and Teresa Sarmiento shielded their mostly glass home from view while preserving a connection to the outdoors.

Timber-clad interiors make it cozy while wall-length windows capture sweeping vistas of the Pacific.

Its three arms stretch out to catch the best views of Ranco Lake and the Andes Mountains.

Junta Arquitectas worked magic with a limited footprint by incorporating a sunny courtyard, verdant patio, and green roof to top things off.

Leaving the bustling city behind, a psychologist and an engineer start over with a set of rentable retreats clad in reclaimed wood.

Interiors transition seamlessly to covered outdoor spaces, courtyards, and gardens in this radically open residence outside the city.

The retreat by Croxatto & Opazo is all about openness with outdoor stairs connecting to roof terraces and ocean views.

Traama Arquitetura avoided structural changes, instead pairing a generous amount of white paint with wood built-ins and iconic furnishings.

In São Paulo, architect Alexandre Skaff restores fixtures and furniture while updating a midcentury apartment that once belonged to his husband’s grandmother.

Local firm Giusto Van Campenhout updates a turn-of-the-century home to feature a central courtyard with a classical oculus rendered in workaday concrete.

A zigzagging floor plan provides a family with opportunities to find both privacy and connection.

Traama Arquitetura renovates the building that once housed the capital city’s electric company, creating a calming yet energizing space.

On a rocky bank, Hebra Arquitectos builds a breezy home that opens wide to nature.

Architect Lucas Maino Fernandez designs a two-tiered home with a sloped roof that draws an inconspicuous line through the trees.

A nod to the past, the contemporary country escape by Mapa Architects is surprisingly close to São Paulo’s hustle and bustle.

Architect Micaela Racca tore out every wall she could to create a continuous floor plan that maximizes space, storage, light, and air.