© Tomás Rodríguez
In the dune landscape of Chile’s coastal desert stands this wooden house for up to six persons, where an unusual spatial concept was realised as a construction of exemplary clarity using economical means. The ground plan resembles a cross set inside a square consisting of storey-high wooden double doors which can be used to either completely open or hermetically close off the building.
When closed, a narrow passage that runs around the house is created between the outer wooden and the inner glazed facade. Three of the four wings of the cross each accommodate a bedroom with a bathroom which opens to a patio. Each of these private refuges is accessed from the outside via its own ramp. The fourth wing serves as living and dining area while the open kitchen is housed in the top-lit centre of the house.
When closed, a narrow passage that runs around the house is created between the outer wooden and the inner glazed facade. Three of the four wings of the cross each accommodate a bedroom with a bathroom which opens to a patio. Each of these private refuges is accessed from the outside via its own ramp. The fourth wing serves as living and dining area while the open kitchen is housed in the top-lit centre of the house.