Casa Pentimento: Prefab Ecuadorian House Made From 900 LEGO-Like Concrete Blocks

Ecuadorian architects Jose María Sáez and David Barragán designed and built this sprawling prefab home using 900 LEGO-like concrete blocks.

The 40-inch-long bricks are stacked to create shelves, planters, stairs, garden fences and regular walls. The designers created multiple micro-climates that regulate humidity levels and temperature by either filling the gaps between the blocks or leaving them open to the outdoors.

Casa Pentimento is a dwelling placed on a gentle slope that is made almost entirely from precast concrete modules which simultaneously determine its structure and its relationship with the terrain. The stacked concrete blocks are left with gaps in some areas to create semi-transparent walls that filter daylight and draw the surrounding landscape into the interior.

The modules were designed with one flat side that creates a normal wall when stacked, while the other side is notched and can serve as shelves, planters or mounting surfaces for furniture. Cost-effective and dynamic, the LEGO-like building system helps regulate heat loss and humidity while creating diverse and pleasant living spaces.

 

Casa Pentimento is a dwelling placed on a gentle slope that is made almost entirely from precast concrete modules.

 

The concrete modules simultaneously determine the home's structure and its relationship with the terrain.

 

The stacked concrete blocks are left with gaps in some areas to create semi-transparent walls.

 

A concrete platform serves as foundations and adapts to the topography of the site.

 

The modules were designed with one flat side that creates a normal wall when stacked, while the other side is notched and can serve as shelves, planters or mounting surfaces for furniture.