During the last 20 years we realized 14 different cabins. With each one our little treasure of experience grew and so did the richness of shapes too. While working intensely on each project, it sometimes felt, that it was not us designing, but the cabin showing us how it wanted to grow.
For the Cabins “The Eucalypt” and “The Rocks” we used as much local material as we could. All the rocks for the walls sustaining the terraces and for the foundations as well as the soil for the mud bricks are from the same grounds. The eucalyptus trunks that replace the casted concede beams are taken partly from the same piece of land or from within a couple of kilometers. By incorporating areas with plants inside the building and also by leaving huge rocks that were on the ground staying within the cabin as part of the building , we tried to leave behind the separation between inside and outside.
The Cabin “The Turtle” is a 7 meter high dome build from mud brick. It has two floors and it´s main characteristics are the round forms everywhere. On each floor we find a large window and the floors are done with round slices of cypress tree. The beds are round or moon shaped and harmonize perfectly with the building. We inspired ourselves by the houses of the ancient Uru- Chipaya culture from Bolivia and some African tribes who use similar buildings, though smaller and without windows.
The Cabins “The Sky” and “The Waves” offer us wide and open spaces within the circular walls. On the ground floor we find natural stone pillars sostaining the ceiling that flows like a continuous wave. The round polished cypress slices as a floor reflect the circular shapes and the natural rocks of the bathroom floor seem to float. On the top floor the roof is sustained by a tree trunk of some six meters height from which twelve round roof beams descend. It has three big windows in the roof from which we can observe the sky. Similar houses to cabin “The sky” we can find in many ancient cultures. In Bolivia the Uru –Chipaya still uses them as well as some tribes in Africa. In Europe the were used by the Vikings.
The construction of the Cabin the “Seashell” was a true adventure, build without any plans, none of us knew how high it would be and how the shape would turn out. It is more a sculpture than a house and as such the structure and the finishing evolved bit by bit. It was almost as though it was there before and it was given to us to discover it or to put it into reality.
The inspiration for this house is the tepee that the North American Indians have been using for centuries. At moments it felt like something sacred to rediscover shapes that mankind has been using at the beginning of times. Starting with a vague idea, our little team loves the challenge to create something that bit by bit developers in our imagination to soon after materialize in front of our eyes.
The first thing that strikes us about “Los Arcos” is the very spacious ambiance.
Its pillar in the center is like a sculpture that holds the infinite wave of the sealing which flows throughout the space. All the furniture except the kitchen stools are integrated and form part of the same architecture.
What an adventure in construction! A house in the heights of this beautiful living being! For some time during the elaboration it seemed to us like building temple in the air. As we worked we all felt an enormous release of strength, joy and above all creativity. As never before we explored the theme of the stained glass windows, which seem to tell a whole story. On the lower floor we appreciate animals from the deep waters, recalling the origins of life. From the middle floor we experience an evolution towards land animals and then moving up to the top we see everything that floats and flies, releasing itself into the air.
We were also intrigued by Heraclitus' phrase “Everything flows, nothing remains” and above all we were inspired by the fact that a tree unites the sky with the earth, the sun with the water and that between these forces it continuously transforms matter. We seemed to feel and touch one of the great secrets of life.
It is exactly what its name expresses. A cabin that seems to be floating above Lake Titicaca. Full of designs and art, an inspiration for everyone who visits it. Again a nice challenge for all of us and at moments we felt like a family making a nest on top of this beautiful tree.
Address: Calle Michel Perez (Final), Copacabana - Bolivia
Cell phone: +591 725 08668
E-mail: info@construarte.biz
Website: www.construarte.biz
Copacabana es un pueblo con aproximadamente 5000 habitantes de origen Aymara. Mucho antes de la invasión española, Copacabana era considerada una tierra sagrada por los incas. Las tradiciones y costumbres locales aún se mantienen vivas y al paso de los años el pueblo llegó a ser sede de varios festivales. Para el turismo local, Copacabana es famosa por la iglesia y la imagen de la virgen de Copacabana, considerada la protectora de Bolivia.
Para el turismo internacional, Copacabana es famosa por las maravillosas vistas que se tiene sobre el lago Titicaca. Antes de que los españoles lleguen y cambien el nombre del pueblo a “Copacabana”, la gente local lo llamaba “Kotacawaña”, que significa el mirador sobre el lago.
More information
