Casa Perdiz is an 8000SF vacation home in the hills near the coastal resort of Punta del Este, Uruguay. It is located on the Villalagos estate which features several other vacation homes designed by KallosTurin. Casa Perdiz was designed for a prominent Argentinian entrepreneur /r estauranteur and his wife and is used as a family retreat. The conceptual design for the home was based on the idea that the form should be simple in its massing and detailing, consistent in its use of materials and carefully placed in the landscape to preserve the site’s integrity and to avoid the impression of a conventional house having being dropped into the otherwise pristine hillside. The architecture is introduced as a series of abstracted geometric forms. The forms were then manipulated and carved to address views, topography and winds and to create an equilibrium between indoor and outdoor space. A monolithic use of materials, flat roofs, precise detailing and alignments, large panes of frameless glass and doors that pocket seamlessly into the walls all help to achieve this abstraction of form. The entry in particular has been designed as an installation of walls and water intersecting the land. A reflecting pool lines the entry facade, emphasizing a separation from the outside world and causing visitors to slow their pace as they cross the stepping stones through the pool and into the house. The building is positioned on the downhill slope of its site to take advantage of the sweeping views across a central lake on the estate. The U-shaped configuration of the main house is oriented to the lake, and the gentle slope of the land rolls up from the shores into the grassy courtyard at the center of the U, integrating the house with the land. The main house is organized around this central courtyard, connecting the various rooms around this light-filled outdoor space. Casa Perdiz is separated into 3 buildings: the main U-shaped house, a simple bar-shaped building that houses the service areas, and a media pavilion and guest rooms oriented toward the pool. An opening is carved through the service building, and leads through a quiet garden toward the front entrance. The entry façade of the main house is lined in the local Lapacho wood. This wood becomes a theme in the house and it, along with areas of bright color, is used as a counterpoint to the stucco and glass walls and poured concrete floors. A wide wood-lined gallery wraps the inside of the main building and becomes a backdrop for the courtyard. Fire is an important theme in Uruguayan culture and forms the focus of the entertaining spaces in the house. In addition to several interior and exterior fire places and fire pits, the heart of the house is a covered outdoor barbeque area (called a parilla) that has been carved into the north wing of the main building. This barbeque area is raised above the outdoor dining terrace and becomes a stage for late night tango musicians and performances. The northwest orientation of the parilla and dining terrace takes advantage of the astonishing sunset views across the lake. The interior materials are predominantly white and grey and include concrete, lacquer, corian, statuary marble and the local Lapacho wood. However, restrained flashes of bright color are used throughout the interiors as an additional counterpoint to the simplicity of the materials palette. Brightly colored glass mosaics are an unexpected surprise in rooms throughout the house, and classic modern furniture pieces (such as the Fronzoni beds and chairs) are reinvigorated by bold color. The furnishings feature important mid-century pieces as well as contemporary pieces from Moroso, B&B Italia, Established and Sons, Cappellini, MDF Italia. The exterior furniture is from the Paola Lenti Frame Collection. The artwork in the house (which was not fully installed at the time of this photo-shoot) features important mid-century and contemporary Argentinian and Uruguayan artists including Sequier, Le Park, Rita Fischer, Cambre.

Year 2014

Work finished in 2014

Status Completed works

Type Single-family residence