The commission, with no further programmatic definition than that of a space for a grand meal, is approached as the design of a pavilion.

Everything is organized around a square courtyard that encloses an existing oak tree. The courtyard acts as a rotational center around which various elements are arranged, setting the rhythm for activities and spaces. Inverting the square-circle relationship of Mantegna’s house, the square plan of the courtyard is framed, in its opening to the sky, by a circle. The square re-emerges in the roof, defined by the beams that support the covering. Positioned at the center of each side of the square, cruciform columns—like those of the Barcelona Pavilion—support the roof.

Concrete walls and ceilings, along with a polished monolithic floor, establish a neutral, monomaterial condition. As a counterpoint of color, singular elements and the captured nature are introduced. The reflections on polished surfaces blur the boundary between inside and outside.

Text provided by the architects.

La entrada Patio and pavilion se publicó primero en Global Spaces.

The project is about the transformation of a small garden house from 1927, with the protected heritage status, into an artesanal bakery and coffee shop.

Associated with the new use there was the need to incorporate a production sector which in its dimension was incompatible with the limited interior space of the house. Thus, it was decided to use the house for the public and incorporate the production area in a new plan extension.

La entrada La Linda Bakery se publicó primero en Global Spaces.

Working from the idea of the Four-Directional Module this beach house in Rocha, Uruguay, uses stacked maisonette units to optimize exposure to the sun and surrounding landscape. Perched on pilotis above a pool in a beachside pine grove, the house takes the 3.5 per 12 meter module as its primary building block, repeating and rotating it to create three maisonette units. The interlacing of living and working is realized via the two-story units whose first and second levels are stacked perpendicular to one another.

The north-south orientation of the first module provides ideal light for work, while the east-west orientation of the second module—with morning light and evening sun—produces ideal exposure for living. While all three maisonette start with a similar spatial condition, they are designed to be used in different ways. For example, one unit has a large kitchen, while the second just has a few burners and the third only has an outdoor grill. In this way, the house suggests a variety of possible uses, such as hosting a visiting friend or temporarily downsizing to rent out the other units. Each maisonette unit can operate as an individual apartment, or they can be aggregated to form a single beach villa.

La entrada VRM Rocha se publicó primero en Global Spaces.