pezo von ellrichshausen's LIMA house loops around courtyard pool

lima house: A Horizontal dwelling in a Chilean Valley

Pezo von Ellrichshausen‘s newly built LIMA House stands in a rural valley of central Chile among an expanse of open farmland edged by vineyards and rocky hills. Its presence is defined by a single horizontal piece raised above the ground, a minimalist line set against a broad, rocky landscape.

The home‘s plan stretches across the site with measured restraint. At its center is a narrow courtyard aligned with sunrise and sunset. A long swimming pool occupies this void, drawing reflected light through the surrounding rooms and introducing a quiet shimmer that changes through the day.

images courtesy Pezo von Ellrichshausen

Pezo von Ellrichshausen’s courtyard home

Inside, Pezo von Ellrichshausen’s LIMA House unfolds through a steady progression of spaces that feel both pared back and subtly disorienting. The architects‘ symmetrical arrangement of entry rooms anchors the plan. Each corner holds a circular chamber, creating a sense of order that softens as the boundary between inside and outside becomes increasingly thin.

This transitional quality shapes the overall sequence. Thresholds appear unforced as movement flows toward the courtyard without explicit hierarchy, allowing the pool to register as the central element around which daily life turns.

the house forms a single horizontal volume raised lightly above the farmland

the intertwined floorplan of looping rooms

The house carries a strong horizontal extension, lifted slightly above the earth to form a continuous ring of rooms. Walking through them produces a looped circulation that reinforces the project’s deliberate simplicity. The architects have described the plan as an echo of intertwined alphabetical figures, an idea that surfaces quietly in the building’s geometry.

Though the form holds a clear discipline, the experience is gentle. Each room opens at chosen points to the surroundings, framing portions of vineyard slopes and distant stone outcrops without overwhelming the interior calm.

symmetry at the entry gives way to a softer transition between interior and exterior

a structure of curving concrete

Deep punch windows direct precise views outward. Their alignment allows light to enter by projection rather than diffusion, emphasizing the orientation of the structure. A curved concrete eave thickens this reading, deepening shadows and reinforcing the shifts between cardinal directions as one moves around the perimeter.

Material differences shape the house with equal clarity. Interior walls use painted wooden boards with a soft surface that tempers the courtyard’s brightness. Exterior walls are cast in place and tinted a faint pink, their surface marked only by the lines of the formwork. The contrast underscores the threshold between sheltered rooms and exposed landscape.

The residence will become a permanent home for a retired couple whose daily routine will revolve around the central void. In this sense, the LIMA House returns to an early typological interest within the work of Pezo von Ellrichshausen, and stands as an ordered perimeter with an open, resonant center.

a narrow courtyard with a long pool organizes the plan and guides daily movement