Land area: 677m2
Built area: 264m2
Construction year: 2017
Architects: BESONÍAS ALMEIDA
Design and Project Management: María Victoria Besonías, Guillermo de Almeida
Collaborators: Arch. Micaela Salibe, Arch. Diorella Fortunati, Guido Galluppo
Photos: Federico Kulekdjian
Memory: María Victoria Besonías
The Place
It is a corner lot in a closed neighborhood founded in 1968, with an important afforestation, to which the years have added an incalculable value. Different species of trees and shrubs combined give landscape value to the place throughout the year.
The lot to intervene is crossed by a row of large oaks and varied species on one of their fronts and in the bordering lots.
The Commission
They requested a house of permanent use with the special requirement that it should make it possible to live intensely the relationship between interior and exterior spaces, so appreciated by the clients. Another request expressed was that, although they were interested in a house built with exposed concrete, they wanted the presence of the wood to break that monochromatic expression.
Regarding the programmatic needs, the house had to have four bedrooms, one on the ground floor and one with an integrated bathroom and dressing room, a spacious living room with a fireplace, and a space of intense family life integrating the dining room, the kitchen and an intimate living room. It should also have a large gallery with a grill, places to eat and be outdoors, a pool and space to park three cars.
The Proposal
Interested on the landscape as much as the clients, we decided that the project should not only preserve the existing trees in the lot, but that vegetation would be the first and fundamental starting point of the project.
We thought then that the house had to develop accommodating itself in the free holes left by the trees and wrapping them to make them part of the proposed spaces.
To achieve this, we decided to work with a spatial grid of 3.80m on each side, of double or single height depending on the case, which would allow us to solve the different rooms and also the gaps that allow the trees to pass.
In relation to the materiality requirements of the clients, we decided that the ground floor of the house, and its prolongation in the semi-covered spaces, would be resolved with visible concrete partitions towards the public space. These form a continuous plinth that is drilled according to the needs of the rooms that define and on which rests a lighter structure of metal profiles and panels with minimal openings to the streets and with external termination of wooden boards. On the contrary, towards the interior and enveloping the oaks, the house is completely open, so that each room participates in the contiguous room and the landscape.
Besonias Almeida Architects
All images courtesy of Besonias Almeida Architects
PLANS
Besonias Almeida Architects
BESONÍAS ALMEIDA arquitectos is an architecture office integrated by the Argentinian architects María Victoria Besonias and Guillermo de Almeida. They both are engaged in the profession independently since 1975 and as holders of BAKarquitectos architecture office from 2000 until 2012.
MARÍA VICTORIA BESONÍAS was born on October 18th, 1947 in Madrid, Spain. She earned a degree in Architecture and Urbanism from University of Buenos Aires in 1975, is a lecturer at FADU, the University of Buenos Aires and a member of the jury’s panel of FADEA (Federación Argentina de Entidades de Arquitectura). She serves as an advisor on urban issues and as a judge for architecture competitions. In 2012 has been honored by the Senators Chamber of the Province of Buenos Aires with the Trajectory and Merit Award.
GUILLERMO DE ALMEIDA was born on November 12th, 1945 in Buenos Aires. He earned a degree in Architecture and Urbanism from the University of Buenos Aires in 1975. He taught architecture at the University of Buenos Aires and the University of Morón. He is a member of the College of Buenos Aires High Council of Architecture and their jury’s panel. Guillermo was a guest lecturer at Brasilia’s 2006 biennial. He participated in the 2007 CPAU young lecturers’ series, the 2008 Architects’ College of Carlos Paz Conference and the 2008 Commune of Cabalango Conference. He was also a guest at the 2008 Devolution Conference, organized by The Architects’ College of Mendoza.
Collaborate or have collaborated with the studio since 2000: Arch. Diorella Fortunati, Arch. Florencia Testa, Denisse Gerard, Arch. Micaela Salibe, Karina Casares, Hernán de Almeida, Ekaterina Allaria, Belén Ferrand, Federico Santinón, Enzo Vitali, Arch. Leandro Pomies, Andrea Wohlgenannt, Arch. Diego Grosso, Martin Saavedra, Alejandro Sánchez, Sebastian Sciccioli.
CONTACT
Maria Victoria Besonias, Guillermo de Almeida
email: info@besoniasalmeida.com
press queries: Karina Casares
phone: (+54) 011 6009-2715
Buenos Aires, Argentina
VISIT
Casalibrary 