Casa Panteón
Was conceived as a tourist house within the Pacaya Samiria National Reserve, in the Peruvian Amazon.
The brief proposed the design of a 300 m² dwelling capable of offering shelter and comfort without losing its connection to the surrounding natural environment.
The house is located on marshy terrain, surrounded by rivers and dense vegetation, in a remote area of the reserve where contact with Amazonian flora and fauna is constant and direct.
The architectural strategy begins with a simple idea: a box within a box.
At the center of the house, the main functional spaces are concentrated: a 30 m² social area integrating living and dining spaces, six bedrooms with four beds each designed under a backpacker/capsule concept, three full bathrooms, a fully equipped kitchen, a staff bedroom, and general storage areas.
While the heart of the house remains compact, its perimeter is entirely permeable.
Around the central volume, a continuous circulation system connects five exterior terraces oriented toward the four cardinal directions. These platforms, ranging from 10 to 30 m², act as viewpoints toward the jungle and river, expanding the experience of inhabiting the landscape.
The house transforms depending on the time of day.
A system of folding louvered doors with integrated protective mesh runs along the entire perimeter of the project. At night, these elements allow the house to be fully enclosed, protecting its occupants from insects and wildlife. During the day, when opened, the architecture becomes completely permeable to its surroundings, dissolving the boundary between interior and exterior.
Interiors and Materials
The project is defined through a palette of natural and locally sourced materials, including timber used both for the construction of the house and for the custom-designed furniture developed specifically for the project. Natural fibers are incorporated into handcrafted lighting pieces, while terracotta-toned ceramic surfaces are used to waterproof humid areas such as bathrooms and the kitchen. The bedrooms are finished with an ochre-red stucco coating, bringing warmth and depth to the interior spaces.
A Shelter in Dialogue with the Jungle
Casa Panteón is born directly from its context.
In a place where nature is both the main attraction and a force that demands respect, the architecture responds through a clear strategy: to protect the visitor without separating them from the landscape.
The house becomes an interface between two worlds, that of the traveler who arrives to explore the reserve, and that of the Amazon rainforest that surrounds it.
More than a tourist dwelling, Casa Panteón is conceived as an inhabitable observatory: a space that allows the Amazon to be experienced through a light, conscious architecture deeply connected to its territory.