this curved house by infraestudio opens up to the beach in west havana

house c by infraestudio is a 60m2 private house nestled in the landscape next to the beach in west havana, cuba. by using two large curved walls, the architect creates a house that achieves total privacy from neighbors while opening the house up to the beach and gaining views out to the ocean. the house cannot be seen from the entrance of the site but once inside, the elements that make this curved path a home are discovered.

all images courtesy of infraestudio

inspired by serra‘s and barragán’s systems of walls and the existing stone walls in the garden, infraestudio developed a design with two curved façades, one of stone and the other of glass. these façades elongate the domestic landscape with a length of 23m and a maximum width of 3.4m. the structure consists of a curved wall of limestone and a series of metal columns 6cm thick that support a reinforced concrete roof built on site.

the view when you enter the site – only the stone wall of the house is seen

the house is oriented to the north and northeast, which receives little sun during the day but the wind that comes from the sea is retained, providing ventilation. the house is also oriented so that each space has a different view of the beach. the only closed space is a bathroom made of concrete, with skylights. the concept of hiding the house to the public yet leaving it open to the sea is the key theme by infraestudio, achieving a sense of absolute privacy and absolute openness into the landscape. 

the north façade seen from the beach

the curved stone wall providing privacy

view inside the bathroom from the shower that becomes a pool

diagram of the essence of the new house

the project was inspired by luis barragán and richard serra

image from the foundation’s construction

view from the roof facing the ocean

during the roof construction

physical model of the project

concept plan of the house.

project info:

infraestudio project team: fernando martirena, anadis gonzalez, david medina, yosuany almaguer, roxana esposito.

designboom has received this project from our ‘DIY submissions‘ feature, where we welcome our readers to submit their own work for publication. see more project submissions from our readers here.

edited by: lynne myers | designboom