Native Trees Punch Through the Roof of This Concrete Home in Argentina

Built of concrete and timber, Casa BS in Córdoba maneuvers around nature, allowing trees to puncture its design.

An outdoor pool is situated among the trees, allowing swimmers to be completely immersed in nature. Like the home, its footprint was determined by the existing trees on the site, and its otherwise geometric form is playfully interrupted by a diversion around a tree trunk.

When an Argentinian couple’s adult sons moved out of the family home, the empty nesters decided to build a new home to mark the next chapter of their lives. “They wanted a house connected with nature and the outside,” says Joaquin Alarcia, director of Alarcia Ferrer Arquitectos. “The design changed a lot from the first iteration to the final proposal, but through all the variables, this connection with nature was a constant in the thought process.”

The large social space at the center of the home opens out to views of the surrounding trees and the pool.

The large social space at the center of the home opens out to views of the surrounding trees and the pool.

Federico Cairoli

The home—called Casa BS—is located in Córdoba, a city in central Argentina in the foothills of the Sierras Chicas on a large, 2,500-square-meter site. “The site has some interesting peculiarities,” says Alarcia. “The plot is irregularly shaped with a number of mature native trees. In addition, the orientation is to the north—a good orientation in Argentina.”

The home is divided into four different blocks, arranged to avoid impacting on the trees on site.

The home is divided into four different blocks, arranged to avoid impacting on the trees on site.

Federico Cairoli

The home is located at the rear of the site, allowing it to open up toward the leafy forest and the northern orientation. The main objective was to preserve the native trees on the site, and it was this motivation that drove the unusual footprint of the home.

The slender timber columns supporting the

The slender timber columns supporting the “gallery”—an outdoor living space—are a subtle nod to the surrounding forest.

Federico Cairoli

See the full story on Dwell.com: Native Trees Punch Through the Roof of This Concrete Home in Argentina

Similar Posts

  • Pia Residence

    Pia residence is located in an irregular land, in el Uro, N,L. The project consists in two main volumes, each by a series of alternated courtyards. The frontal volume is single leveled with a double height element that highlights the main entrance, and it is accessed through a series of a triangular concrete prints that provides a sense of continuity through the street and the sidewalk. The volume in the back has two levels and is separated from de frontal volume by a patio that functions as an extension of the social area, kitchen and studio situated in the lower level, also provides ventilation, views and sunlight to the area. The courtyard is divided a staircase enclosed in a glass volume that links the vertical and horizontal connections of the building. The posterior patio has two garden areas that unites the laundry and service areas providing a sense of visual continuity to the area. Concrete was used as the main material of the project; as an apparent formwork on the façade as polished floors and some colored cement on details. Also important is the use of the custom steel work on windows gates, doors and stairs. The landscaping consisted on low maintenance, regional plants. Pia residence is the result of the transformation of a country house to a suburban house without losing the relation between the building and the exterior, preserving, nevertheless the privacy of the interior areas. It is a reinterpretation of the Mexican architecture of the second half of the twentieth century with a new formal character. Name of the Project: Pia Residence Location: Gated community El Refugio, El Uro, Nuevo León, México Area: 200 M2 Autor: Ar. José García Toledo Collaborators: PE. Eduardo Vásquez Velásquez Ar. Fernanda Roiz Silva ID. Andrea García Aragón ID. Luis Carlos Rodríguez González ID. Sinuhé Machuca Esquivel Ar. Krizia Nasser Ar. Christian López Photography: Ar. Francisco Martín Alvarez de la Vega / The Raws Human scales: Patricio Betteo