Brutalism is reimagined as a coastal retreat in this stunning concrete house by CAZA Design. There’s no hiding materials here. Instead this concrete house, looking out over the South China Sea on the Punta Fuego peninsula in the Philippines, positively celebrates what it's made of in a series of identical cubes, coming together as a striking whole that makes the most of its privileged position and provides its fortunate inhabitants with a home that exudes a certain serene calm.
Steep slopes of the site are integrated into the design. Signature concrete stairways provide access to the concrete house as well as offering surprising vistas of sky and sea. All walls are structural, meaning there’s no need for supporting beams inside, allowing for widescreen open-plan living, with a slim, integrated lap pool for your morning exercise and those cooling dips on a warm evening.
This remarkable concrete house is the work of New York-based architect Carlos Arnaiz of CAZA Design. “We knew that given the scale of the lot we had to be very efficient with the structure,” he says, emphasising the form-follows-function approach behind this project, on a narrow plot of land. Concrete was poured on-site, allowing curious neighbours to watch the concrete house take shape. Deep holes became sculptural forms, providing each room and every space with its own unique views through large windows and expansive skylights.
Interiors feature raw and unfinished concrete so that, say the architects, there’s "a sense of casual sophistication”. Pale wood finishes provide a tactile warmth that’s a deliberate contrast to the cool, hard surfaces of the concrete house. CAZA, headquartered in Brooklyn, say their designs seek to "explore formal beauties that are intrinsic to their setting and cultures”. The functional allure of FR House is a spectacular demonstration of this ethos. Just brilliant.
For more like this, peruse five homes that epitomise the best of concrete architecture.
