Casa A.E - Lorenzo Botero Arquitectos

Casa A.E.

La Calera – Colombia

Year: 2021
Location: La Calera – Colombia
Usage: Private Residential
Collaborator: Pablo Mejía
Area: 398 M2

The A.E. House results from the alignment of the main spaces in a bar parallel to the mountains, carved into the slope, and confined by two brick walls that act as wind-shields to a large exterior terrace.

The bar’s roof is tilted upwards towards the west, opening a long window designed to capture the evening sun. This window is necessary given the fact that the secondary spaces flank the house towards the west and would otherwise block all sunlight.
The service wing is composed as a sequence of built volumes and patios which isolate the house from humidity and allow for sunlight to reach the corridor..
The site’s steep slope is resolved by excavating half of the house’s footprint, and laying landfill beneath the other half. This reduces transport and permit costs and makes the main facade seem to spring from the terrain.
The slope of the terrain means that the basement is semi-buried towards the road and elevated towards the view. This makes it possible to optimize the excavation/fill ratio, and to establish a balance between the best possible visual and the greatest possible privacy.