Cheng + Franco cantilever trio of Corten steel-clad volumes from rural Peruvian house

Cheng + Franco cantilevers trio of Corten-clad volumes from rural Peruvian house

This countryside house in Peru by Lima-based studio Cheng + Franco Arquitectos features three volumes clad in perforated Corten steel that cantilever above a grassy bridleway.

Cheng + Franco Arquitectos designed Casa N in the South American country's northern coastal region of Piura.

The home is located on a 24-acre-site occupied by a farm for breeding and training horses, and provides the owner with a holiday retreat.

Set on exposed concrete walls, the three volumes extend over a grassy pathway used to lead the horses from stables to the training and exhibition field set on either side of the house.

Angled in different directions, each of the volumes is clad in panels of Corten – a type of pre-rusted steel, also known as weathering steel.

"The proposal consists of three elevated, cantilevered, clearly defined volumes, overlooking at the landscape of open fields and desert areas," said the architects.

Holes punched into the metal are intended to filter light in various ways according to the different functions inside.

On the side nearest to the horse training and exhibition field, the projecting structure forms a canopy above the terrace located next to the swimming pool.

Three guest bedrooms are placed in the volume nearest the stables, while the block in the middle is occupied by the master bedroom and a living room.

At the end of both of these volumes, glazed doors open the bedrooms onto balconies offering views of the surrounding landscape.

Large expanses of glazing are also placed along the longer walls of these blocks, as the architects wanted to expose the steel structure of the cantilever.

A three-storey-high void cuts through the centre of the middle block to accommodate a red steel spiral staircase. The ceiling is covered with white and wooden blocks, while the surrounding walls are lined with shelves to showcase trophies won from horse competitions.

"The main stair, a circular shaped steel staircase, is located within the vertical void and it is connected to the different levels by small bridges," they explained.

"The idea was to use the stair as a platform from where the user can contemplate all the various trophies."

The stair leads down to the ground floor. Board-marked concrete is left exposed across the walls and slanted ceilings of the open-plan living and kitchen room.

This space, which opens onto the covered patio, is separated by a wall with built-in wooden shelves that echo the storage units around the staircase.

A study and a second living room also occupy this floor. The stair then leads down to the basement a wine cellar, where the shelvings provides storage for wine bottles.