ryue nishizawa's ochoquebradas house in chile photographed by cristóbal palma

photographer cristóbal palma has documented a residence that japanese architect ryue nishizawa has designed on the chilean coast overlooking the pacific ocean. the dwelling is topped with an undulating concrete roof that references the waves crashing against the shoreline. the project is located in close proximity to another concrete house designed by alejandro aravena.

image © cristóbal palma (also main image)

both designs are part of ‘ochoalcubo’, an ambitious five-stage development that will eventually result in eight sets of eight houses — 64 dwellings in total. the retreats designed by nishizawa and aravena form part of ‘ochoquebradas’ — the third and fourth stages of the development. ‘ochoquebradas’ involves the construction of 16 weekend houses that seek to transform los vilos into a site of architectural significance. half of the residences will be designed by japanese architects, while the other half will be realized by chilean architects .

image © cristóbal palma

ryue nishizawa sought to design a building that would enter into a dialogue with the natural terrain. despite its 50 meter length (164 ft), the concrete roof canopy appears to float elegantly above the house, which has very few conventional walls. instead, the home’s interior is delineated by the undulations of the roof canopy. the entrance leads directly into the main living space, which extends in a linear manner towards the ocean.

image © cristóbal palma

warm wooden tones have been used to complement and contrast the more austere concrete, while floor to ceiling glazing allows for sweeping views of the surrounding landscape. meanwhile, a separate area of the house contains the main bedroom as well as an adjoining terrace with sea views. see designboom’s previous coverage of the project here.

image © cristóbal palma

image © cristóbal palma

image © cristóbal palma

image © cristóbal palma

project info:

name: ochoquebradas house
location: los vilos, chile
architect: ryue nishizawa

client: ochoalcubo / ochoquebradas
photography: cristóbal palma