Local studio Prim Estudio has designed a white house with a balcony inset into an asymmetrical zinc roof and arched windows for contemplating the landscape outside Buenos Aires, Argentina.
Known as Los Tigres, the 187-square-metre house sits on an expansive property in Villa Rosa, on the banks of the Luján River. Set on a rough-hewn stone foundation, the house is elevated above the surrounding field, which floods multiple times per year.
The rectangular plan is oriented on an east-west axis with an extended southern wall to break up wind that carries across the plains. The house is just beyond trees that hold stables, barns and storage sheds for the property's agricultural activities.
To fit with the vernacular architecture of the existing buildings, Prim Estudio opted for a contemporary version of an agrarian form to meet the client's request for a relaxed, landscape-focused space.
"This was the most important premise for the studio: to create a space for contemplating the surroundings," the studio told Dezeen.
"It was one of the main design guidelines for the house and each of its spaces, ensuring that it would be consistent with the expansive landscape of the plain while remaining a structure of modest dimensions."
A load-bearing masonry system of aerated concrete blocks forms the perimeter wall, broken by red-toned wooden window frames and topped with high-density polyurethane insulation panels and corrugated zinc roofing.
The western end of the house is a large open-air covered patio that doubles as a garage and gallery-like barbecue space. It opens into the main living, kitchen and dining room.
A wood-burning fireplace and curved wooden bench complement the main window.
"Undoubtedly, the house's contemplative spirit is expressed through the large, segmental-arch window that dominates and balances the composition, highlighting the simple geography of the surroundings as viewed from within," the studio said.
"To achieve a cohesive composition, other spaces were designed that also function as vantage points: the loft on the upper floor and a small bedroom look out through porthole windows, while maintaining a shared architectural form."
Three bedrooms and two bathrooms form the eastern side of the house, separated from the public spaces by an inset covered patio and a sculptural staircase.
"To achieve a sense of vertical space, a staircase leads to the loft and the north-facing terrace, which serves as a vanishing point toward the outdoors, offering a sweeping view of the sky and the horizon," the studio said.
Locally sourced wood with a simple, unpretentious aesthetic pairs with red ceramic floors and pops of green in the kitchen cabinetry and exterior shutters to reinforce the vernacular identity of the house.
"The project is based on a stereotomic concept for the building's design – a heavy, massive, stony architecture that sits on the ground as if emerging from it," the studio said.
"Within this massiveness, openings are created to let in light. Through this precise act – using a lowered arch – the design frames an expansive, uninterrupted horizon that, if not framed as a 'landscape,' might feel oppressive or monotonous."
"Ultimately, the house succeeds in providing a sensitive and secure framework for an extreme and hostile environment."
White painted houses carry through the Argentinian landscape, reflecting the climate's strong sunlight.
Other recently completed designs include a compact home with terracotta patios by Estudio Futuro, a stilted modular house by SET Arquitectura and a guesthouse with insulation made of discarded sheep wool by DUB Arquitectura.
The photography is by Javier Agustin Rojas.
Project credits:
Project design and construction management: Architect Julián Puyal
Furniture and lighting: Architects Agustina Rodrigañez Riccieri & Clara Encabo
Main contractor: Flaminio Ortega
Carpentry: Richie Fillipello
Structural engineer: Ing. Martin Invernisi
Renderings: Ignacio Fabi
Land surveying: Ing Bruno Piazza
Electrical consultant: Ing Javier Amor