{"id":4564,"date":"2025-08-25T17:00:03","date_gmt":"2025-08-25T17:00:03","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.angesfinanciers.org\/?p=4564"},"modified":"2025-08-29T15:10:02","modified_gmt":"2025-08-29T15:10:02","slug":"light-air-and-shadow-are-core-design-tools-for-chilean-courtyard-house","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/www.angesfinanciers.org\/index.php\/2025\/08\/25\/light-air-and-shadow-are-core-design-tools-for-chilean-courtyard-house\/","title":{"rendered":"Light, air and shadow are “core design tools” for Chilean courtyard house"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"Casa<\/div>\n

Chilean studio Paralelo Transversal has utilised passive strategies, including\u00a0multiple courtyards<\/a> for ventilation, in the design of a house oriented around a skylight<\/a> on the outskirts of Santiago<\/a>, Chile.<\/span><\/p>\n

Casa con Lucarna was completed in 2024 with 3,250 square feet (302 square metres) of interior space, divided by open-air bays that help it cool in the warm climate.<\/p>\n

“Casa con Lucarna was inspired by the need to respond to a hot climate using passive strategies \u2013 light, air and shadow as the core design tools,” the team at Paralelo Transversal<\/a> told Dezeen.<\/p>\n

\"Wooden
Paralelo Transversal has created a house using passive cooling strategies in Chile<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The focal point of the house is a large skylight \u2013 or lucarna \u2013 that brings softened, natural light into the main living space, located at the centre of the house, which is divided into organising modules.<\/p>\n

The skylight juts out of the roof as the only vertical element of the otherwise horizontal design.<\/p>\n

A triangular truss, supported on black steel columns, holds the profile of the skylight, which has frosted glass to dilute the light as it streams into the seating area below.<\/p>\n

\"Couetyard
The house features multiple courtyards<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Shaded patios separate interior programs and promote cross ventilation, while deep overhangs reduce heat gain. With no active systems, the house relies on its arrangement for thermal comfort.<\/p>\n

The house is organised in a gradient from public to private with the social areas \u2013 outdoor terraces and a barbecue area \u2013 located on the eastern end of the plan, moving through family spaces of the living, dining and kitchen areas in the centre, to the bedrooms on the western side.<\/p>\n

\"Skylight
A central skylight is a significant vertical element that brings light into the living space<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The planted patios are framed in floor-to-ceiling panes of glass, allowing views through the home.<\/p>\n

“At the far end lies the main bedroom, which overlooks the rest of the house and includes an exterior bathroom protected by a slatted wood screen that shields the west-facing facade from the sun,” the studio said.<\/p>\n

“The result is both functional and climatically effective.”<\/p>\n

\"Steel
The house has a steel structure visible inside<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The\u00a0steel framework is elevated above the ground to enhance ventilation.<\/p>\n

Warm wooden cladding fills in the framework as vertical boards and screens.<\/p>\n