Arch Daily is fast becoming one of my favorite new blogs for architectural marvels. Recently featured was this poured concrete house located on a beachside complex called Ocho al Cubo, in Chile. Architect Sebastian Irarrazaval has designed the house to encourage a variety of circulation routes, whether accessing programmatic spaces along the building’s perimeter or through an open patio at the center. The lack of a rigid layout speaks to the main function of the property, a leisure retreat that promotes the wandering of the spirit.
One of the defining characteristics of the building is its use of light and shadow. The patio that serves as the core features a series of beams and irregular columns that throw shadows throughout the day. Like the Japanese maestro Tadao Ando, Irarrazaval has combined two disparate elements – ethereal light and impenetrable concrete – to achieve a sublime architectural intervention.
Photographs by Cristobal Palma
Written by Brian Fichtner, Associate Editor, Dwell.com
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