pezo von ellrichshausen's crescent-shaped house in chile provides shelter from the elements

on chile’s chiloé island, pezo von ellrichshausen has completed a crescent-shaped residence that sits atop an evergreen meadow. the project, titled ‘rode house’, contains three living spaces organized around a partially sheltered courtyard that provides protection from the elements. depending on where it is viewed from, the curved property appears as two very different buildings. ‘from one side it stands as a massive and hermetic fortified refuge, from the other it appears as a large pitched roof almost without supporting walls,’ explains the design team.

all images courtesy of pezo von ellrichshausen

constructed entirely from local timber, the dwelling is described by the architects as being ‘both a half and a double house’. ‘half, because it is the interrupted encounter between a cone and a cylinder. double, because the subtraction of a rectangular form at the base of the previous figures generates a pair of equivalent rooms at the extremes of a linear sequence, one facing the direct yellow sun and the other the indirect and blue one,’ says pezo von ellrichshausen.

the crescent-shaped residence sits atop an evergreen meadow

the largest of the three interior spaces contains cooking and dining facilities, as well as a living area arranged around a fireplace. the two adjoining rooms serve as the home’s sleeping quarters. the design also pays homage to the region’s carpentry traditions. ‘the structure is defined by the polar array of forty-five rigid frames,’ continue the architects. ‘while walls and ceilings are clad with boards, a traditional thin wooden shingle covers the conic roof.’

a partially sheltered courtyard provides protection from the elements

the largest of the three interior spaces contains cooking, dining, and living space

two adjoining rooms serve as the home’s sleeping quarters

walls and ceilings are clad with wooden boards

the courtyard is partially paved

from one side the house stands as ‘a massive and hermetic fortified refuge’

the architects describe the building as being ‘both a half and a double house’

‘rode house’ is located on chile’s chiloé island

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name: rode house
location: chonchi, chiloe archipelago, X region, chile
client: private
architects: mauricio pezo, sofia von ellrichshausen
collaborators: diego perez, findlay barge, caitlyn flowers, victoria bodevin
consultants: marcelo valenzuela, daniel garrido
builder: ricardo ballesta
structure: luis mendieta
plot surface: 48,500 sqm
building surface: 200 sqm
project date: 2015
construction date: 2016-2017
photography: pezo von ellrichshausen