With a baby on the way and jobs that let them work remotely, a young couple decided it was prime time to move to a new home in the countryside. The pair purchased an undeveloped plot in Fundo Puertecillo, a 108-hectare eco community about three hours southwest of Santiago replete with undulating hills, lush greenery, and Pacific Ocean views. Instead of selecting one of Fundo Puertecillo’s predesigned housing options, they reached out to Santiago-based 2DM Architects for a custom build.

“The clients asked me to design a compact home with a living area, a bedroom, and the greatest possible view of the ocean,” explains Daniel Díaz Miranda, founder of 2DM. “They wanted the architecture to be daring, while keeping in mind the conditions of the surroundings.”

The 615-square-foot home’s proximity to the coastline partly inspired its dramatic shape and name—Casa Prebarco, Spanish for “Ship House.” To maximize ocean views, Díaz crafted the home in the likeness of a ship’s bow with a glazed, cantilevered bedroom on the second floor.

The ground floor features an open-plan living room, dining area, and kitchen flanked by full-height sliding glass doors on the north and south sides. The south-facing doors open up to a timber deck that seamlessly expands the living space to the outdoors.The steel-framed home was built in approximately nine months, and it’s clad in blackened timber planks to help it blend into its surroundings.

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As part of Fundo Puertecillo’s commitment to low-impact living, all homes in the development, including Casa Prebarco, are equipped with solar panels. The homes also feature on-site sewage, tap into the development’s five shared groundwater wells, and utilize natural gas for heating.

“Before starting a project, I always ask myself what is the most unique way to answer the brief—and I always try to make it an original gesture,” says Díaz. “In this case, the goal was maximizing views, which meant that the structural design was very important. “My favorite part of the project is the incisive edge that’s formed to face the ocean—it has a lot of character.”

Related Reading:

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Project Credits:

Architect of Record/Builder/General Contractor: 2DM Arquitectos / @2dm_arq

Photographer: Nico Saieh / @nicosaieh

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A Sharp Chilean Cabin Shines Like a Gemstone