TEA HOUSE

Location: Jahuel, Chile.
Architect/Designer: ARKE
Architect of Record: Joaquin E. Boldrini
Design Team: Joaquin E. Boldrini, Katherine Moya
Year: 2015

The design of this accesory building is placed over a wetland in a 2 acres lot, therefore the use of stilts to keep the structure at a distance above the ground was considered as a logic response to the site.

The program was rather undefined, it was understood as a protected space for meditation, teaching and conversation which would happen either at day or night time. This evoked the image of the lantern which became the inspiration for the design.

The wooden structure is connected to a higher ground through a bridge which turns into the front porch. A light structure for the porch keeps the view mostly unobstructed for the glazed front of the cabin opening the view to a nearby pond with the Andes mountains on the back. All other facades have a more opaque design producing a hierarchy towards the east, the birth of light.