Friday, July 16, 2010

Subtle Sunken Beach House, Shipwreck or Ruin by the Sea?


natural beach home chile

Like a washed-up shipwreck or ancient waterside war fortress, this simple beach-front home by Izquierdo Lehmann in Chile seems very much a part of its environment – from the earth it is carved out of to the stacked stones that buttress the sides and keep the retaining walls from caving in.

natural beach home 2

Viewed from the sea, it looks like a modest-but-modern beach house. Viewed from inland and all one can see is five rectangular chimneys lined up on the site like geographical markers or gravestones. Behind the house sits a monumental sunken forecourt – a wind-blocked patio and garden space that again conjures up images of ancient ruins, like the leftover basement and footings of some castle by the sea.

natural beach home 3

The interior concrete walls are board-formed, leaving the impression of the wood slats that were erected for the pouring process and lending a further naturalistic feel to the inside rooms and spaces. Floor-to-ceiling glass walls in front and back also keep the environment close at hand on either side of the narrow-footprint plan.

No comments:

Post a Comment