This beach apartment, located in southern Lima, was designed to fulfill leisure and social needs. It addresses the challenges of dense temporary housing by reinterpreting a historic architectural prototype—the Domino Building by Le Corbusier.
The building occupies a semi-isolated site at the center of an artificial oasis, measuring 15 by 8 meters. The zoning only permits single-story houses with rooftop terraces, ensuring residents experience “basic happiness” — access to sunlight, open space, greenery, and views of the sandy desert landscape, the Pacific Ocean, and the Andes Mountains.
During summer weekends, the homeowner and guests frequently use the space for recreation, while usage significantly decreases during other times of the year. This seasonal pattern influenced a layered functional design that responds to nature—open to the public in summer and private during winter.
The public spaces expand progressively from the rooftop terrace down to the basement level. The first floor acts as a mezzanine featuring compact bedrooms, optimizing the use of space while maintaining comfort and privacy.
Set away from the beach and surrounded by small forests, the house enjoys natural privacy. This setting allows for greater transparency while maintaining enclosure, aligning with the homeowner’s preference for openness and passive thermal management through controlled sunlight and ventilation via concrete blocks.
The design expresses a rational sequence of iron columns, beams, and lightweight concrete slabs, complemented by secondary decorative elements. This creates a harmonious balance with the organic form of the spiral staircase, which serves as a central vertical transportation feature. The contrast between orthogonal structural systems and curved elements poetically responds to the coastal landscape.
Project Drawings
▲ Underground Floor Plan
▲ First Floor Plan
▲ Terrace Floor Plan
▲ North Elevation View
▲ Section A
▲ Section B
▲ Section C
Project Information
Location: ASIA, Peru
Architectural Design: Jorge Marsino Prado
Photographer: Juan Solano Ojasi
Manufacturer: Masisa
Collaborators: Renzo Marsino Moreno, Taller 33
Constructor: Taller 33
Structural Design: Jorge Avendaño
Text: Jorge Marsino Prado
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