AT2 House

Tumbaco, Metropolitan District of Quito, Pichincha, Ecuador

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The Block Bond House

AT2 House

Tumbaco, Metropolitan District of Quito, Pichincha, Ecuador

Firm

ARCHITEKTEN, Felipe Palacios + Johann Moeller

Type

Residential › Private House

STATUS

Built

YEAR

2022

SIZE

5000 sqft - 10,000 sqft

BUDGET

Undisclosed

A house acquires different meanings for its inhabitants, depending on the moment it becomes part of their lives. In the case of the AT2 house, it comes to its owners as the culmination of a successful life. It is the reflection and reward for goals achieved.

The AT2 house has been conceived as a family epicenter. Its mission is to bring together children and grandchildren. It is located in the suburban context of the eastern valleys of Quito, near the Chiche River and enjoys the excellent climatic conditions of the area. The lot it sits on is between party walls, which means it depends on its own spaces to generate pleasant views. This also reduces the panoramic views towards the front.

The front facade of the AT2 is elegant and reserved. There are few frontal openings that react to the surrounding landscape. In fact, the permeability of the house is progressive. Many of the windows and skylights were designed to create illuminated and warm spaces. The corner walls are pierced for the same purpose. The family character of this residence is established with increasingly larger openings and voids as one heads towards the privacy of the backyard. The grand finale of this cadence is the dematerialization of its volumetry. The spaces open to the pool are hinted at by planes and lines while the porch serves as the family gathering point. Most of the life between hosts and guests happens here, where the boundary between interior and exterior becomes almost invisible.

The interiors are organized in an orderly and simple manner, through the arrangement of four parallel concrete and metal units, with touches of wood. Within this materiality, which is wisely balanced with spacious and illuminated spaces, a pleasant and fluid program is developed to allow for comfortable daily life for the two permanent residents of the house.

The kitchen articulates both exteriors and interiors. It connects informal spaces such as the porch and a daily dining room. Likewise, the formal dining room and the double height living room do. This denotes the value that its users give to family moments without neglecting the rigor and etiquette required on special occasions.

The AT2 is an architectural work of selective permeability. Open to those it welcomes inside and closed in a formal manner to preserve its intimacy. The way light defines its interiors achieves an interesting balance with the solidity of its materials. It is precision, protection, and well-being. The perfect framework for living and enjoying to merge into one act.