LOCATION: SAN ISIDRO | BUENOS AIRES
SURF. ROOF: 90 m2
SURF. SEMICUBIERTA: 10 m2
PROJECT YEAR: 2019
CONSTRUCTION YEAR: 2019
The RG House was the result of a long process of structural and morphological study, based on the innovations implemented in American residential architecture, in the post-war period, to design and build model houses, efficient and fast execution, these houses were called Study Houses.
The program was not an isolated phenomenon, but an evolutionary step in the history of architecture in general, giving a fundamental impulse to the application of industrial methods and materials in construction by promoting the use of steel, glass, aluminum and other materials in residential architecture.
The main challenge was to create a completely structurally independent top-floor dwelling with the commercial premises. The main objectives were based on the promotion of the architecture itself, emphasizing the concept developed in the Study House. For this purpose, a very versatile space was created, capable of covering different uses, combining different materials and large glazed planes.
The resolution of spatial problems generated a great challenge within this modulated morphology.
To meet the program, an environment was designed integrating the kitchen with the living-dining area and internal courtyard. The entrance hall is the circulation space that introduces the visitor to the climate of the house. It is entered through a transition area, with a significant scale, hierarchizing the access to the house, achieving full control of what happens on the first floor, as a result of the double height generated by the arrival of the staircase. The scaled architectural components, the selection of materials and the theatrical lighting throughout the place diminish, achieve clarity and total control of the spaces.
This allowed the social area to be located towards the front, leaving the private area towards the interior of the lot. These two spaces are confined by an internal courtyard, being the main actor of the project, generating that all the rooms are allowed to have light and natural-cross ventilation, as well as the possibility of connecting visually through the different perspectives. The internal courtyard is the "heart" of the house, taking the role of organizer of daily life. This combination allowed for fluidity, finding the perfect balance between public-private spaces, comfort, design and warmth. Completing the program, the house has a suite, a second bedroom, a reception bathroom and service area, managing to create different spaces, which evoked mental well-being, warmth and inspiration.
Charles Eames in his publication: What is a house? defines very well the philosophy that permeated the future development of this housing project:
"We are interested in the house as a fundamental instrument for living in our time. The house as a solution to the need for shelter that is structurally contemporary; the house that, above all, takes advantage of the best engineering techniques of our highly industrialized civilization".