Residence near Pachacámac
- Sabine Drey
For the Incas, the magic of a place played the central role in an architectural intervention: the site itself determined a building’s use and form. Centuries later, in a gently rolling landscape about 40 km south of Lima, the design for this house situates the spaces within the hill. Only the living room extends beyond it. These embedded spaces have appendages that cut into the west slope. In the east, small openings in the solid facades permit cross-ventilation and allow sunlight to enter. Aside from the locally sourced ashlar and fine river gravel, the stone “carpets” embellishing the floors and the exposed-concrete surfaces supply contemporary accents. The built-in furniture peals out of the concrete walls.
