casa OT: an harmonious blend of nature and architecture by DARP

darp brings the outside in

Colombian architecture studio DARP (De Arquitectura y Pasaje) completes its sunlit Casa OT amongst the lush landscape of El Retiro, Antioquia. Nestled on a plateau at the base of a gently sloping plot, the house is enveloped by vegetation casting filtered sunlight across the plot. The architectural concept is centered around a single extruded section, serving as a spatial system that resolves the programmatic needs of the client — a simple system which forms the foundation of the entire project.

images © Mauricio Carvajal | @mcarvajal.foto

casa ot: a house of three volumes

The team at DARP designs its Casa OT with three longitudinal volumes that span the sloping terrain, interconnecting and puncturing to create a seamless flow between the many spaces of the house and its site. The program is divided among these three volumes, with the first housing the social and service areas, the second comprising the bedrooms, and the central pavilion serving as a transitional articulator between the other two. The home is accessed through this central pavilion, a visually striking ’empty’ volume that consists of the vestibule, interior patio, and study. These spaces are delineated by glass walls, seamlessly integrating the landscape and framing uninterrupted views.

learning from its context

DARP notes that the functional layout of its Casa OT draws inspiration from the traditional patio houses of Antioquian colonization. The patio, located at the heart of the house, features a meticulously curated garden of aquatic plants and native vegetation. This design element not only serves as a visual focal point but also enhances the house’s lighting and ventilation conditions while establishing visual connections throughout the interior spaces.

Upon entering the vestibule, one descends parallel to the topography, gradually gaining elevation as they reach the social and service areas. These glass-enclosed spaces open up entirely towards the covered terrace and the exterior garden, seamlessly blending the indoors with the outdoors.

The final volume houses the bedrooms and other intimate spaces of the house. Nestled away from the perimeter road and in close proximity to the mountain and forest, these rooms extend outward through an elongated terrace adorned with greenery, resulting in three distinct spaces. This strategic placement shields the bedrooms from external noise and offers a direct connection to the natural surroundings.

The house is oriented with its long facades facing north-south and its short facades oriented east-west. Covered terraces are employed on the western end, not only as extensions of the interior spaces but also as a means of solar protection. This thoughtful approach allows the more significant areas of the house to open up to the beautifully landscaped sections of the property.

In terms of materials, the project adheres to a rigorous approach based on the modulation of brick pieces. A spatial module of 1.8 meters in length and six meters in the shorter dimension is established, streamlining the use of construction elements, optimizing resources, and minimizing waste during construction.

Casa OT offers diverse ways of engaging with the environment. The brick facades act as filters, delicately sifting the surrounding landscape and contributing to the unique character of each space within the house. The masonry walls comprising each of the three pavilions are meticulously crafted with varying thickness, recesses, and protrusions. These elements emphasize the structural modulation while creating captivating interplays of light and shadow. Simple yet durable materials such as exposed brick, wood, glass, and metal are employed, enhancing the spatial richness through their colors and textures, and ensuring long-lasting appeal.