Along the coast of the world's longest country and just a few hours outside its capital city of Santiago lie La Loica and La Tagua, two minimalist cabins perched on a hillside overlooking the Pacific Ocean. Designed by Croxatto and Opazo Architects, the twin Navidad, Chile-based cabins aim to bring visitors closer to the region's unique natural environment with immersive views and a stirring sense of solitude.
Built as holiday homes, La Loica and La Tagua were contracted by and designed for two seperate clients who were inspired by the landscape—a rugged yet beautiful area where verdant cliffs drop to the beach, a popular surf spot—and sought a way to more closely connect with it.
To achieve this, Croxatto and Opazo had to embrace the steep hillside sites through experimentation and thoughtful architectural design.
The two structures are similarly styled and sized but have slightly different floor plans, with La Loica housing just 215 square feet and La Tagua a larger 269 square feet. Each cabin is constructed entirely out of wood. The interiors use a pine board finish, while the exteriors are built from upcycled oak railway ties—wood beams that span and hold railroad tracks in place—that have been treated with oils to provide stability and resistance against marine corrosion.
Steady wooden pylons support the structural base and create a foundation on which two spacially-linked interior levels come together, one of them serving as a loft. The living room, dining room, kitchen, and bathroom rest on the access level, while the master bedroom is on the upper level, offering the most epic views.
It was the architect's aim to use this double-height design to make the buildings feel far larger than their small square footage would typically allow. Though we've not seen these sructures in person, from a far it seems a success.
Large windows wall each cabin, allowing for natural light to beam through while providing ample views of the horizon and surrounding coast. A full-height glass wall on the western face enhances the feeling of floating above the ocean, while the positioning of the master bedroom serves to direct the view towards the wooded hills to the south and a large sea stack called La Lobera to the north. Furthermore, the main level opens up with a terrace on the northern face creating a seamless flow between interior and exterior spaces.
Both La Loica and La Tagua are available to book on Airbnb for around $100 per night, apiece. Either one would make for a unique home base for a beach getaway in an off-the-beaten-path part of Chile (don't forget that it's currently summer down there).
Published 01-10-2022
