As long as I remember, I was always dreaming about living close to the ocean.. a “clean”, minimalistic style home surrounded only by wild ever-changing nature. I was imagining myself waking up to the sound of the waves gently kissing the shoreline, seeing seagulls dancing in azure skies, salty breeze caressing emerald green trees…
Therefore when I saw La Loica and La Tagua project made by CROXATTO & OPAZO ARQUITECTOS I couldn’t believe my eyes – my dream home was real! And today I’m really happy to be able to share with you a little interview with Felipe Croxatto Viviani and Nicólas Opazo Marchetti who are creating homes with souls.
Could you introduce yourself in a few words? Tell a bit more about the team
behind CROXATTO & OPAZO ARQUITECTOS.
The office was founded in 2010 by Felipe Croxatto Viviani and Nicólas Opazo Marchetti – since then, the team exists out of five architects and several partners, based in Santiago de Chile. The team is dedicated to the creation of architectural projects, covering the creative process, design development, construction development in detail, coordination of specialties and coordination of work along with the possibility of addressing the construction and management work associated with each assignment, thus being able to address and provide solutions to all stages of a project.
What / who had the biggest impact for you to choose the pathway to become
an architect?
Inspired by many great architects and the sense, that buildings affect society on a high level, architecture is a great occupation to combine interests of the people with the possibility to improve our world’s design. We both been fascinated from the different types of buildings since the young age, and we started to want to become a part of that.
What does the architecture mean to you, how would you describe it?
As an architect, it is possible to influence people’s moods by designing comfortable atmospheres. With architecture you can go into the needs of each person through a harmonious and synthetic result. Architecture is more than a job – it is about creating a feeling.
What is your favorite project you have ever worked with? And why?
Every project we are working on has its own peculiarity and we love to work on all of them. One of our favorite projects are La Loica and La Tagua, because we know that we invented a place for people to escape from their stressful everyday lives in offering a location that totally connects the people with nature.
How would you describe your style / the core of your works?
Croxatto y Opazo Arquitectos aim for a clear result together with technical and formal quality which is reflected both in the clarity of our designs and in the choice of materials we use.
Could you tell a bit more about La Loica and La Tagua project?
La Loica and La Tagua are two cabins built out of wood, located at the pacific coastline of Chile. The retreats extend on the 80 m high rock cliffs and offer floor areas of 20 and 25 m². In the cabins, you get a view over the pacific ocean and the nearby cliffs. We built the cabins out of wood and recycled materials to make it fit perfectly to the nature we wanted to respect with the buildings.
If you could have your own dream home how it would look like and where it
would be?
It is difficult to describe the way your dream home should look like when you are an architect – there are too many different things that influence buildings from time to time. A house of our dreams would probably be next to nature – combining it with the house itself.
What does the word “home” mean to you?
Home is a place where you feel safe and where you can be your true self. Home is more than just a building – it is the feeling that this building brings along.
What’s your favorite architect / -s, building / -s in the world and why?
There are too many great architects and buildings to pick and choose one out of all of them. Buildings that really inspired our way of thinking architecture is the Barcelona Pavillon from Mies van der Rohe. It revolutionized architecture and the way we build houses today.
What are some recent projects you’ve been working on?
We are working on different projects worldwide. Every project has its own characteristic and its own charm. Most of the projects are housing projects in Chile.
What does the ocean mean to you?
The ocean means freedom. A place, where you can shut down your thoughts, focus on the waves and the noises of the water and be one with nature.
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