A home in Argentina craves privacy as well as connection to the outdoors

The a purpose of a home, of shelter, is to keep nature and the elements at bay, but this residence in Buenos Aires embraces the outdoors.



This 635-square-metre home in the Las Lomas, designed by Estudio Ramos, is surrounded by a dense forest of aged trees, and sits atop a wide lot, about 30 metres. The location permitted an expansive floor plan and a distinct separation between bedroom quarters on the upper floor and living and service areas on the ground floor.



To make sure the house remains private from the street, the architects, who have offices in Buenos Aires and New York, designed a front façade with few openings, in stark contrast to the back elevation, which is practically all glass. In the rear, the main volume is cut out to form a garden and this, along with the glass walls, invites nature into the house, blurring the division between outside and inside. This internal glassed space, articulates the house’s different areas and all internal circulation emanates from it. On the ground floor, its purpose is to separate the formal living and dining room from the family room. On the upper floor it serves to divide the master suite from the rest of the bedrooms.



The family room expands outwards into a large semi–covered space where the barbecue and bar areas are located. The swimming pool is integrated into this area and becomes an important focal point in the composition of the ground floor. The living and dining rooms also have outside galleries with double-height roofs, giving the gallery the feeling of an outdoor space while at the same time under protection. All of the semi-covered areas are interconnected.



An atelier was designed under the terrace of the swimming pool with an exterior staircase to assure its isolation from the main house. This space receives ample light from a large, planted, English-style courtyard.




The structure of the building consists of beams, slabs, column, and walls of reinforced concrete. Externally, the walls and pavement are of the same material. Inside, there is a predominant use of painted white plaster on walls and ceilings, which complements the floors made of incienso wood. The window openings are made of natural anodized aluminum.



The particular nature of this work is strongly conferred from the use of the exposed concrete. It evokes stone, which emphasizes its qualities of durability and hardness while being crafted in an artistic manner.



There are several flat roofs that have been planted because of concerns ranging from the aesthetic, practical to environmental.

During the creative process, many issues were taken into account, but specially, the proportions of each space, its natural lighting and its relationship with the exterior.

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