Pezo von Ellrichshausen’s Luna House in Chile is an austere yet intricate architectural composition, balancing monastic seclusion with a fluid spatial experience shaped by light, mass, and nature.
Luna House resists conventional classification. It is neither simply a house nor fully a museum, but something more monastic, a cloister-like assemblage of twelve interconnected structures. Standing at the foot of the Andes, this concrete ensemble is fragmented yet unified, with seismic joints subtly outlining its distinct volumes. The architecture’s disciplined geometry—a square footprint bisected by an asymmetrical cross—creates a rigorous spatial logic, organizing rooms both along the periphery and at its core.
At the heart of Luna House lies a sequence of courtyards, each with its own unique character. One follows the terrain in alignment with the sun’s movement, while another, rigorously flat, frames a linear stream. A third dissolves into a circular flower garden, its orientation deliberately ambiguous, while the largest, borrowing its scale from the Chilean medialuna, expands into a pond shaded by mature trees. This layering of open and enclosed spaces fosters a fluid relationship between architecture and nature, where boundaries feel porous and provisional.
The interiors defy traditional notions of domesticity. Instead of rigidly defined functions, spaces are articulated through shifting light and unexpected openings. Living quarters blend seamlessly with workspaces for painting, writing, and gardening, forming an environment where daily life and creative practice intertwine. There are moments of intimacy—quiet recesses, framed views—but equally, a sense of monumentality emerges from the structure’s weight, its careful negotiation of opacity and void.
Despite the rawness of its handmade concrete, the building carries a sense of fortification, emphasized by horizontal cornices that punctuate its mass. The exterior surfaces remain rugged, yet in the courtyards, thick eaves—some linear, others curved—soften the edges. The subtle transition from one to two floors reinforces a horizontal reading, grounding Luna House in the landscape while allowing its sequence of spaces to unfold with an almost meditative rhythm.
