Architecture

Locking up at night may take a while with this 72 door beach house

Locking up at night may take a while with this 72 door beach house
The courtyards of the House in Morrillos can all be opened to the outside using the 72 doors that envelop the home
The courtyards of the House in Morrillos can all be opened to the outside using the 72 doors that envelop the home 
View 16 Images
The House in Morrillos is located atop a dune in Morrillos, Chile
1/16
The House in Morrillos is located atop a dune in Morrillos, Chile
The House in Morrillos features a total of 72 doors
2/16
The House in Morrillos features a total of 72 doors
The House in Morrillos is constructed almost wholly from pine wood
3/16
The House in Morrillos is constructed almost wholly from pine wood
Access to the House in Morrillos
4/16
Access to the House in Morrillos
The courtyards of the House in Morrillos can all be opened to the outside using the 72 doors that envelop the home
5/16
The courtyards of the House in Morrillos can all be opened to the outside using the 72 doors that envelop the home 
The House in Morrillos' kitchen
6/16
The House in Morrillos' kitchen
The House in Morrillos is shared between three couples as a vacation home and is also occasionally rented out
7/16
The House in Morrillos is shared between three couples as a vacation home and is also occasionally rented out
The House in Morrillos' kitchen features beams arranged so as to provide a large skylight
8/16
The House in Morrillos' kitchen features beams arranged so as to provide a large skylight
The House in Morrillos' pine wood construction was carried out without any exposed metal pieces so that it didn't rust in the sea air
9/16
The House in Morrillos' pine wood construction was carried out without any exposed metal pieces so that it didn't rust in the sea air 
The House in Morrillos contains four courtyards
10/16
The House in Morrillos contains four courtyards
The House in Morrillos was completed in mid-2016
11/16
The House in Morrillos was completed in mid-2016
The House in Morrillos opens to the outside with 72 wooden doors
12/16
The House in Morrillos opens to the outside with 72 wooden doors 
Architectural drawing of the House in Morrillos
13/16
Architectural drawing of the House in Morrillos
Architectural drawing of the House in Morrillos
14/16
Architectural drawing of the House in Morrillos
Architectural drawing of the House in Morrillos
15/16
Architectural drawing of the House in Morrillos
Architectural drawing of the House in Morrillos
16/16
Architectural drawing of the House in Morrillos
View gallery - 16 images

We've all been there: you're just drifting off to sleep and realize you may have left the back door open. Well, spare a thought for the owners of the House in Morrillos, as they've got a total of 72 doors to go and check before getting some shut eye. Located in Morrillos, Chile – hence the name – this wooden beach house by Cristián Izquierdo has some interesting ideas up its sleeve.

Situated atop a sand dune amid wetlands, the House in Morrillos serves as a shared vacation home for up to three couples at a time and is rented out when not in use.

The way the beach house is laid-out is unusual. It features a shared kitchen, lounge and dining area. Three bedrooms (two master bedrooms, one guest bedroom) each have their own bathroom.

There are also four courtyards, connected to each other with a narrow corridor that runs the perimeter of the house. Where it gets interesting is the courtyards can all be opened to the outside using the 72 doors that envelop the home. Opening some of those same doors also, optionally, closes-off access to the perimeter corridor.

The House in Morrillos is shared between three couples as a vacation home and is also occasionally rented out
The House in Morrillos is shared between three couples as a vacation home and is also occasionally rented out

This one's a bit of a head scratcher as it does sound very appealing indeed to be able to open up a beach house to the outside with fine control – the effect must be impressive with all the doors open – though it all sounds a little fussy. Perhaps large sliding doors would have been less hassle, but it may well be that this was simply the best way of achieving the desired effect.

We've asked the architect for more information on this, but as of writing have received no reply.

The House in Morrillos is constructed almost wholly from pine wood, joined together with glue rather than using any metal, to prevent rusting in the salty sea air. It was completed in mid 2016.

Source: Cristián Izquierdo

View gallery - 16 images
6 comments
6 comments
Matt Fletcher
The person who owns this house either suffers from obsessive compulsive disorder or soon will. To me it's a bad idea to have 72 manual exterior doors. Why not use large folding automated on track doors. This would reduce the # of doors to 36 or 18 and all you would have to do is push a button to open or close. It could even be controlled by a remote, that's a better idea. The doors are not really part of the house, it's really more like an opening fence built right next to the house.
JohnHoward
Maybe automate the door closing to one control panel ?
Wolf0579
One hopes they thought to use a moisture-proof adhesive...
CAVUMark
I saw three metal hinges on each door!
MQ
The caption says no "exposed metal" so doesn't exclude metal entirely. Have you ever used a glue hinge on a door. A ceramic pin hinge would work well, or a roller supported door...
Looks like a very wide shipping container in lockdown from a distance.
The external doors are really shutters, in the extreme. I like the concept keeps that radiant heat out when closed down (thermally reflective blanket would improve comfort)
Auto closing Simple, use self closers and auto latch, with electro-magnetic hold-open thing.
Don't worry about security the type of construction will barely keep a determined person out, get a dog.
Charles S Roscoe
It has all the warmth of a brand new warehouse.