- Project: Bumeran House
- Architect: Lucas Maino Fernandez
- Location: Chile, Villarrica, Araucanía Region
- Year: 2020
- Area: 214 m2
- Photography: Marcos Zegers
A Shelter Shaped by Landscape and Solitude
Set within the rolling grasslands outside Villarrica, Bumeran House by Lucas Maino Fernández emerges as a poetic synthesis of form and terrain. Its plan arcs like a boomerang, opening toward the Villarrica Volcano and embracing the rural stillness of southern Chile. Conceived as a weekend retreat, the dwelling balances solitude and openness, drawing its strength from a singular architectural gesture — a sweeping roof that unifies all spaces beneath its protective reach.
Concept & Spatial Strategy
The home’s distinctive “V”-shaped layout defines both its name and its spirit. The two wings meet at a central pivot — the entry point — from which the program unfolds in opposing directions:
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One arm extends into the private realm, housing the bedrooms and intimate spaces.
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The other arm opens into the communal zone, where living, dining, and kitchen converge in one continuous panorama.
This organization not only separates functions but also frames distinct orientations: the quiet enclosure of the north and west contrasts with the luminous openness of the southeast. The plan’s geometry choreographs views, light, and privacy into a fluid domestic sequence, always anchored by the volcanic horizon.
Site, Orientation & Relationship to Context
The site — a 5,000 m² rural plot with a gentle north–south slope — demanded sensitivity to both privacy and prospect. The northern boundary abuts a neighboring property at close range, prompting the architect to turn the house away from that side entirely.
Instead, the design orients toward the east and south, where the Andes rise and Villarrica Volcano commands the skyline. This rotation allows every major room to open to the landscape while the north façade remains solid and quiet, pierced only by selective apertures that frame light and view.
The resulting boomerang form mediates between enclosure and exposure, shielding from neighbors while embracing the natural drama of Chile’s volcanic landscape.
Structure, Materials & Atmosphere
Bumeran House is, in essence, more roof than walls. The unifying roof plane — broad, protective, and continuous — creates a generous intermediate zone between interior and exterior. Beneath it, parking, loggia, terraces, barbecue area, and living quarters coexist under a single mantle, blurring traditional boundaries between rooms.
The structure and envelope are clad in raw impregnated pine boards (1×8), installed horizontally and left untreated to weather naturally. Over time, this timber will silver and blend into the rural surroundings, evoking the vernacular wooden sheds that dot the Chilean countryside. The large roof eaves not only provide protection from the region’s heavy rains but also extend the home’s living spaces into the open air.
Light, Transparency & Shelter
While the north and west façades remain discreet and solid, the southeast elevation is fully glazed — a ribbon of transparency that traces the length of the home and immerses daily life in the surrounding landscape. The generous eave tempers sunlight and rain, ensuring comfort in every season.
Inside, light filters softly across wood surfaces, amplifying the warmth of the material palette. The contrast between opaque and transparent, shadow and illumination, defines the house’s serene and contemplative mood.
A Mantle for Living
In contrast to the fragmented logic of many modern country homes, Bumeran House unites all programs beneath one unbroken structure. The design emphasizes continuity, simplicity, and rootedness. Rather than dispersing across the site, every element — from bedrooms to barbecue terrace — remains sheltered under the same roof.
This approach not only enhances thermal efficiency and spatial cohesion but also reinforces a symbolic sense of togetherness. The roof becomes a mantle of belonging, embodying the idea of home as a singular gesture of protection within a vast natural expanse.
Architectural Essence
“It is a project characterized by having more roof than house, more intermediate space than interior. A single element that contains everything.”
— Lucas Maino Fernández
This reflection captures the project’s soul: a minimal structure that privileges atmosphere over volume, presence over display. Bumeran House is less an object in the landscape than a continuation of it — a shelter suspended between earth and sky, where time, weather, and light become co-inhabitants.
