Located in the neighborhood of Palermo in the city of Buenos Aires, on a tree-lined street, on a lot with a 16-meter front, the building establishes a unique relationship with neighboring buildings, both due to its proximity to the corner and the diversity of scales. Given this context, the project seeks to understand these constraints as potential points of contact that allow addressing the issue of the territory as the design challenge of inserting an architectural work into an existing environment.
The building is set back from its front boundary to establish a connection with the surrounding structures and create uniform facades towards the center of the block, allowing for usable space to be dedicated to making the courtyard an area of high quality. This operation also establishes connections through expansions between the project and its boundaries with existing and future adjacent properties.
Materialized in concrete, the structure organizes space based on precise modulation and is expressive throughout the entire structure. Its language is manifested through well-defined and recognizable elements. There is a play of textures used to highlight the syntax, giving each element the opportunity to fulfill a role within the system.
The building incorporates various typologies, proposing ways to address the issues of repetition and variation as another set of themes. The facade pattern on the front is created through the repetition of three alternating duplex units; the living floors have expansions, while the upper floors extend their plan forward. This strategy allows for a play of solid and void spaces, as well as double heights that shape the edge condition of the structure. The goal is to transform the horizontal property into a typology that captures the essence of a house, both through its relationship with outdoor spaces and through cross-visuals from within the unit or neighboring units.
As a culmination, the project features four two-story, three-bedroom units with their own terrace and pool. These units take advantage of code-related setbacks, creating various outdoor situations where expansions visually relate as counterparts to voids in height, enhancing airflow, natural light, and spaciousness within the interior spaces.