Chilean studio Croxatto and Opazo Architects has completed Negrilla House, an elongated home perched over a ravine in the village of Matanzas that splits into two stacked terraces overlooking the Pacific Ocean.
The 152-square-metre home extends from the nearby road in the coastal Chilean village with a pier-like timber structure, which is predominantly coated in a black bio-resin to protect it from harsh coastal winds.
Croxatto and Opazo Architects lined each side of Negrilla House with two external walkways sheltered by timber slats, which lead to a stacked pair of terraces that curve towards views of the sea to the west.
"The project's primary strategy was to position the built volume along the eastern slope, allowing all major spaces to benefit from unobstructed views towards the west and the Pacific Ocean," studio co-founder Nicolás Opazo Marchetti told Dezeen.
"The program is arranged sequentially, forming an elongated volume that follows the site's contour lines," he added.
From the southern parking area, an 18-metre-long external walkway along the entire eastern edge of the building leads to the entrance, where a full-height sliding door opens directly into the home's living, dining and kitchen space.
To "reinforce its prominence", Negrilla House's living area is positioned slightly higher, stepping upwards as it curves 34 degrees to the west to face the ocean. Full-height glass doors open onto a terrace that is sheltered by a deep reveal.
Tucked beneath this living space is a second lower terrace designed for barbecues. This is sheltered by the main volume of the home above and wrapped by high timber walls, left exposed to contrast with the black upper level.
"As the terrain becomes steeper at the end of the building, the architecture responds through a bifurcation of the volume. At this point, the house splits into two levels," Marchetti explained.
"As a result, this area becomes a particularly complex spatial node, integrating circulation, programme, topography and landscape into a single architectural gesture," he added
An internal corridor connects back to the home's bedrooms, which line its western edge. They are also linked by an additional external walkway.
Contrasting the dark exterior of Negrilla House, its interiors have been lined with planed pine boards, which were treated using a white-based water wash.
Previous projects by Croxatto and Opazo Architects include a home outside Santiago with a terrace that is also rotated towards sea views, and a pair of small holiday homes perched on a coastal hill in Navidad and clad in reclaimed timber sleepers.
The photography is by Cristóbal Palma.