Inhabiting Geometry:A Bespoke Private Getaway that Fits in Your Backyard

Architizer News

Inhabiting Geometry:A Bespoke Private Getaway that Fits in Your Backyard

June 21, 2012

All photos: Manuel Villa/Sergio Gomez

For those who want a home away from home, but on a budget, consider the “Habitable Polyhedron”, a small geometric pod that’s a small private getaway from domestic life. The project was built for clients with young children as a secondary, “doll-house” structure situated adjacent to their suburban home just outside of Bogota. Tucked away in a garden several yards away from the main house, the shed offers a cozy retreat where the family can relax together or separately, with space to take tea, read, draw, or just doze off.

Designed by Colombian architects Manuel Villa and Alberto González Sepúlveda, the structure consists of a wood frame configured into what the pair describe as a “truncated cubic-octahedron”–a series of octagonal panels connected by squares and aggregated in a sphere-like volume. The structure is wrapped in a layer of shingles stained black which lends it the appearance of a large dark orb. The glass facade breaks with the geometric pattern to open up the shrouded interior to the sunlight and landscape of suburban splendor (“sculpted” trees, manicured lawn, pebble “terrain”) that lies beyond. Continue.

A wooden deck projects from the base of the structure, acting as a kind of plinth to elevate the strange object. Inside, sky portals and obliquely placed apertures funnel in light and help to circulate air throughout the space. Built-in furniture such as shelving units and desks, are grafted onto the geometric wall panels, meeting them at interesting angles and heights.