Casa del Ocobo

Design: AR-AR (Martínez Arquitectura) + Fiallo Atelier

Collaborators: Valentina Torres Monroy - Raúl Fadul - David Rojas

Date: 2019

The place:

At the top of a mountain, in the Calandaíma river valley, it found La Cascajosa, a recreational house 2 hours away from Bogotá.

“Its hot tropical climate is a discovery of sensations and surprises. From time to time, you can feel the extreme humidity of the fog, the torrential rain and the blizzards that scare, as well as the dry periods of high temperatures, which suggest fires. The delight of the air and the insatiable sound of cicadas and frogs, of birds and insects inviting you to stay, are always a fundamental part of this marvelous environment.”

Elements of the project:

Typology:

Casa del Ocobo built for the caretaker, complemented the work. The chosen typology was an L, one of the sides has the social area and the other the private area; both house a garden patio. With a few movements, the house softened to promote harmony with the landscape.

Budget:

To reduce costs, Casa del Ocobo was located on an existing cement plate in the lot. A dark material was sought for two reasons: on one hand that the building had a raw sensation to it and highlighted the darkness relationship of the place and on the other, that it was the most economical one. The chosen material was the handmade chircal brick. In this way, the project managed to generate quality architecture from a very low budget with very specific strategies.

Note: The referenced texts are taken from an essay made by Marisol Leal; psychologist, artist and owner of the project.