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.

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 "gallery"—an outdoor living space—are a subtle nod to the surrounding forest.

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

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