Dezeen Magazine

Raw concrete and black-painted metal give industrial appearance to house by Tectum

Tectum used a combination of gridded and board-marked concrete for this residence, which is set in a gated community in the foothills of Argentina's Sierras Chicas mountains (+ slideshow).

Corzuelas House by Tectum

Argentinian architects Manuel Gonzalez Veglia and Dolores Menso designed the 160-square-metre residence named Corzuelas House within the confines of the new community on the outskirts of Unquillo, a city around 20 miles northwest of Cordoba.

Corzuelas House by Tectum

To keep costs low, the architects designed the house around the use of inexpensive modular and pre-finished elements.

Corzuelas House by Tectum

The outer walls are made from a combination of grey board-marked concrete, white stacked blocks and black-painted metal, while inside gypsum boards cover some of the exposed concrete walls.

Corzuelas House by Tectum

Casting concrete within wooden formwork to create raw, textured surfaces is a construction technique that is popular among Argentinian studios including Luciano KrukBesonias Almeida Arquitectos and ATV Arquitectos.

"The project is meant to be a sober and orderly intervention; a pause within a visually noisy context," said the architects.

Corzuelas House by Tectum

"Once you walk in the interior of the house, one understands that the spacial sequence is defined by its structure," they added.

Corzuelas House by Tectum

A broad wooden door pivots into the house, which has an L-shaped plan and interlocking L-shaped patio.

Corzuelas House by Tectum

This arrangement provides separate wings for a combined living and dining area, and a pair of bedrooms and bathrooms.

Corzuelas House by Tectum

Sliding glazing opens into the patio to the rear of the property, which is separated from the street by a wide metal gate and a perforated white wall.

Corzuelas House by Tectum

Service pipes and wires are contained within a ceiling-mounted metal framework that matches the black window frames.

Corzuelas House by Tectum

Elsewhere in the Sierras Chicas mountains, a single-storey residence with slatted roof features a water-filled patio looking up at the peaks, while another has a series of terraces and pools, offering views over a valley.

Photography is by Gonzalo Viramonte.


Project credits:

Architecture: Tectum
Architects: Manuel Gonzalez Veglia, Dolores Menso
Collaborators: Emilia Lavanchy, Florence Carbonetti, Maria Paula Ilvento
Advisers: Fernando Mattiuz, Gustavo Lozano

Corzuelas House by Tectum
Floor plan – click for larger image
Corzuelas House by Tectum
Section one – click for larger image
Corzuelas House by Tectum
Section two – click for larger image