House MO
MO House is located at an area of steep slope facing the sea coast of Chile in the commune of
Zapallar. The house is buried with clearly no intention to interrupt the wonderful view to the
horizon from the public road, so it is accessed by stairs and ramps going deep into the mountain to
discover again, from inside the house, the sea, coast and breaker.
The access to the house is in the middle level, which contains the public areas of the house: living
room, dining room and kitchen. The rooms were located on the ground floor with direct access to
the garden; and the main room was designed to be at the upper floor, on a suspended volume
that dominates the view and highlights the clear intention of the house to capture the horizon.
The house itself is a big x-axis which is evidenced by the suspended volume that gives measure.
Each level of the house has terraces to be protected from the west sun and wind by large eaves
and beams.
Reinforced concrete with added titanium dioxide was the only material used in this housing. The
reinforced concrete allows the work to bury, structure in slope, and achieve great structural lights
in a seismic country like Chile. Titanium dioxide added to the concrete allows bleaching of this and
helps, like trees, to the elimination of toxic gases produced by vehicles. The whole interior of the
house has been painted white, with the clear intention of enhancing the natural lighting inside the
house, which occurs through windows to the horizon and a series of skylights and light courtyards
and ventilation. All the carpentry, windows and doors are made of cedar.
The cover has been carefully worked as a fifth facade finished in white stone, as it is the main
facade of the house from the external road. White color in stones of the facade was worked like
proper white color of the sea breaker in the coast. In addition, the white roof leaves a bed of air
between this one and the slab, protecting it from direct sun, airing it and influencing on the indoor
temperature inside the house.
