Lucas Maino Fernandez completes Casa Un Patio in dense Chilean forest

Native ferns and trees grow within the centre of this home in Molco, Chile, which architect Lucas Maino Fernandez designed to establish continuity between the living spaces and the surrounding forest.

Casa Un Patio, which roughly translates to Courtyard House, is located near Lake Villarica in central Chile. It sits between the lake and a volcano of the same name, on a remote and rugged site.

Native ferns and trees grow within the centre of Casa Un Pation

"The terrain is characterized by its dense and young vegetation and difficult access," said Lucas Maino Fernandez, who is based in the capital Santiago.

The architect wanted to create a strong relationship to the home's natural surroundings and chose to organise the living spaces around a lush central courtyard.

Lucas Maino Fernandez built the house in a dense Chilean forest

"The central operation of the proposal is to create an interior void, with the purpose of enhancing a portion of the forest, framing the context of the sector, and integrating the existing vegetation into the house," Maino Fernandez said.

"This elemental intention introduces this natural element to the project from the center, and not only from the perimeter, as it would have with a closed volume," he added.

The home is arranged around a lush central courtyard

The architect incorporated a parking space beneath the first storey of the 223-square-metre residence. A corridor with windows onto the courtyard leads to the open-plan kitchen, living and dining room.

In addition to overlooking the courtyard, the communal areas lead out onto a covered terrace that meets the site's grade at the back of the home.

A gentle staircase links the two sides of the house

"Here, the perimeter transparency of these spaces generates continuity with the outer forest," explained Maino Fernandez.

A gradual staircase leads to the upper level, where the bedrooms are located. They share a corridor that is fully glazed but faces the interior garden.

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According to the architect, this allows for passive heating within the home, as the surrounding trees block out much of the area's natural light.

"Another aspect that the interior patio solves has to do with providing light and heat to the project since the lushness of the forest produces a dark and cool environment," he said.

Altogether, the home encompasses three bedrooms, including a guest room on the ground floor.

Wooden flooring, window frames and walls feature in Casa Un Patio

The material palette inside matches the natural surroundings: wood flooring, window frames, and walls bring warmth to the interiors.

Meanwhile, facade materials were selected for their durability, low maintenance, and ease of assembly. They include black corrugated metal sheets, polycarbonate panels, and ornamental wood shutters.

Facade materials like black corrugated metal sheets were chosen for durability

Other remote homes in Chile include a ski cabin that was built atop the foundations of a previous failed construction project, and a lakeside home that sits on stilts to create a covered exterior space.

The photography is byMarcos Zegers.

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Project credits:

Architects: Lucas Maino Fernandez

Lead architect: Lucas Maino

Design team: Catalina Briones, Macarena Gonzalez

Engineering: Matias Zuñiga

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McCloy + Muchemwa adds timber-framed "orangery" to renovated garage

Architecture studio McCloy + Muchemwa has renovated a dilapidated garage in Norwich, England, adding a greenhouse extension with a bright-orange framework wrapped in polycarbonate cladding.

The London-based studio McCloy + Muchemwa was tasked with transforming the dark, dusty and asbestos-riddled garage into a safe and attractive outbuilding in the clients' rear garden.

McCloy + Muchemwa has renovated an old garage in Norwich

As a consequence of spending more time at home during the Covid-19 lockdowns, the clients wanted to restore the existing outbuilding into a usable space for hobbies and DIY.

The self-build project's small budget informed an approach that focused on simple adaptations, upgrading the existing structure and reusing materials wherever possible.

The studio added a timber-framed "orangery" to one side

"The internal timber structure was largely sound, if a little haphazard, so to minimise the quantity of new materials added, a 'surgical' approach to refurbishment was chosen," explained McCloy + Muchemwa.

"Improvements to the building fabric promise to extend the working life of the structure and have been undertaken to minimise the waste taken off site."

The new structure has a bright orange frame

A priority of the renovation was the removal of the damaged roof, which contained asbestos. Sections of timber affected by rot were also replaced.

The original blockwork walls were retained and sealed with exterior-grade paint to improve their longevity.

The greenhouse is clad in polycarbonate

The converted garage, named The Orangery, now houses a storage area for large items such as bikes and lawnmowers, alongside a hobby zone with a workbench and further storage for power tools and gardening equipment.

Much of the furniture used inside is either upcycled or made from recycled building materials. Storage units are raised off the floor on wheels and can be reconfigured if required.

The garage now functions as a hobby zone and storage area. Photo is by McCloy + Muchemwa

An extension to the existing structure contains an "orangery", or greenhouse, which is used for growing food. This timber-framed addition is clad with polycarbonate panels that allow light to reach the planters, shelves and potting table inside.

The woodwork inside the greenhouse and garage is painted a vibrant shade of orange to evoke the aesthetic of the high-tech architecture movement and, in particular, the work of the late architect Richard Rogers.

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Elements such as the angular shelf brackets, simple hairpin table legs and castors are finished in the same industrial orange hue.

The garage is illuminated naturally by daylight entering through a triangular opening on the gable end connected to the greenhouse and a new pyramid-shaped window on one side.

The orange structure continues inside the renovated garage

Corrugated black metal cladding applied to the building's walls and roof was chosen to emphasise the colours in the garden – an approach that the architects said "references classical still-life paintings".

The simple colour palette of orange and black creates consistency throughout the design, along with a recurring triangular motif.

A pyramid-shaped window has been added. Photo is by McCloy + Muchemwa

The same colour scheme and design language are applied to a pergola added to the rear wall of the clients' house.

This seven-metre-long structure provides a sheltered outdoor space and incorporates drainage for collecting rainwater used in the garden.

A matching pergola has been added to the clients' house

Elsewhere in England, architect Richard John Andrews also recently completed a multifunctional outbuilding for his garden in east London, and Invisible Studio created a translucent model-making shed for its self-built studio in Bath.

McCloy + Muchemwa was founded by Steve McCloy and Bongani Muchemwa in London in 2017. Its work ranges in scale from architecture to objects, such as the undulating yellow bench that it designed for the London Festival of Architecture in 2018.

The photography is bySimon Kennedy unless stated.

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