Dezeen Magazine

Felipe Assadi's linear H House stretches along the Chilean coast

Chilean firm Felipe Assadi Arquitectos has created a long concrete house for a sloping site overlooking the Pacific Ocean, with extended portions forming covered balconies and a perpendicular swimming pool.

House H by Felipe Assadi Arquitectos

House H occupies a site in Zapallar, and has a stepped path leading down to a nearby beach. Its stark, elongated form creates a strong contrast against the lush mountainside.

House H by Felipe Assadi Arquitectos

The two-storey home is raised off the inclined ground, enabling a passageway to cut underneath to connect the levels.

House H by Felipe Assadi Arquitectos

Local firm Felipe Assadi Arquitectos built the house using reinforced concrete, with two large beams spanning the length of the roof and the first floor.

House H by Felipe Assadi Arquitectos

This system enables both ends of the building to extend 23 feet (seven metres) past the main structure, creating covered terraces with uninterrupted views.

House H by Felipe Assadi Arquitectos

Also at this end of the house, a swimming pool projects out from the base towards the ocean. A concrete ramp gently slopes from the lower floor up to the pool, doglegging in the centre.

House H by Felipe Assadi Arquitectos

The long facade facing the ocean is almost entirely glazed on both levels, while the concrete walls towards the mountain feature much smaller openings.

House H by Felipe Assadi Arquitectos

The upper level is occupied primarily by common areas, including an open-plan living room, dining room and kitchen at one end. This space is lined with sliding glass doors that meet the terrace.

House H by Felipe Assadi Arquitectos

A master suite is also located upstairs, at the other end of the house, and boasts its own outdoor area.

Across the storey below are three bedrooms and a sitting room, accessed via a partially open stairwell close to the swimming pool.

House H by Felipe Assadi Arquitectos

Interior decor is kept minimal, so as not to distract from the views. Light wood lines the floors, with exposed board-marked concrete on the ceilings. Lacquered white cabinetry features prominently in the kitchen and bathrooms, reflecting sunlight from outside.

House H by Felipe Assadi Arquitectos

Chile's extensive coastline and dramatic topography create spectacular settings for contemporary architecture. Other residential projects in the country that make the most of their surroundings include a narrow, concrete home that perches on a cliff in the Coliumo Peninsula by Mauricio Pezo and Sofia von Ellrichshausen, a lake house with a black gabled frame by Apio Arquitectos, and a dark wood house with light plywood interiors a rural piece of land by Ampuero Yutronic.

Photography is by Fernando Alda.

Project credits:

Project architect: Felipe Assadi Arquitectos
Project team: Felipe Assadi, Trinidad Schönthaler, Macarena Ávilal, Alice Schuck

More images and plans

House H by Felipe Assadi Arquitectos
Main floor plan
House H by Felipe Assadi Arquitectos
Lower level floor plan
House H by Felipe Assadi Arquitectos
Site plan
House H by Felipe Assadi Arquitectos
North elevation plan
House H by Felipe Assadi Arquitectos
Long section plan
House H by Felipe Assadi Arquitectos
Long section plan
House H by Felipe Assadi Arquitectos
House H by Felipe Assadi Arquitectos
House H by Felipe Assadi Arquitectos
House H by Felipe Assadi Arquitectos
House H by Felipe Assadi Arquitectos
House H by Felipe Assadi Arquitectos
House H by Felipe Assadi Arquitectos
House H by Felipe Assadi Arquitectos
House H by Felipe Assadi Arquitectos
House H by Felipe Assadi Arquitectos
House H by Felipe Assadi Arquitectos
House H by Felipe Assadi Arquitectos
House H by Felipe Assadi Arquitectos
House H by Felipe Assadi Arquitectos
House H by Felipe Assadi Arquitectos
House H by Felipe Assadi Arquitectos
House H by Felipe Assadi Arquitectos
House H by Felipe Assadi Arquitectos