Leaning on the Rock of the Mountain | Villa San Matteo

Proving that building on a budget doesn’t have to mean compromising on aesthetics, Uruguayan architecture practice Bercetche Estudio has completed the WS House, a single-family home on the outskirts of Montevideo. Built primarily with unpainted natural timber inside and out, the home takes on a minimalist design that highlights its simple palette of natural materials. A strong connection with the outdoors and access to natural light is also emphasized throughout the home.
Located in the La Tahona neighborhood about a half-hour drive east from the capital, the WS House stands out from its suburban neighbors with its contemporary form comprising boxy, flat-roofed volumes of varying heights. Spanning an area of nearly 2,750 square feet, the home is shaped like a horseshoe that wraps around the main entrance. Oversized square pavers that lead from the road to the front door emphasize the geometry of the home, while the timber cladding is applied in both horizontal and vertical orientations for visual interest.
The main entrance leads directly to the open plan living area, dining room and kitchen, which seamlessly connect to the outdoor terrace with a sunken circular pool through sliding glass doors. Flanking the main living areas are two bedroom wings: the master bedroom with an en suite bathroom is located on one side, and a secondary bedroom wing contains three flex rooms and two baths. Large windows let in ample natural light and views of the outdoors. “It is an easy-to-read house, built with sustainable and economical materials, which prove that with well-manipulated basic components, an expressive and energy efficient house can be made,” the architects explained. “[The house] shows great respect for the environment and, through a nice space distribution, takes advantage of it. Two opaque volumes separated from each other generates a permeable ‘in between’ that gives rise to all the common activities of the house.”

Casa Altanera is located in Puerto Escondido, Oaxaca, México. The lot has an area of ​​2,500m2, with minimum slope. It was established as a natural and essential order of the project to follow up on the reforestation process of the area, contributing to the regenerative process that we find in our context. A single-family housing scheme was developed, contained in three separate operating modules, distributed among social areas and two pieces that interact independently, solving a program of areas for a master bedroom for two people and four secondary rooms for eight people, including your individual and shared service areas. The interaction with the exterior was proposed through the areas that develop in the palapa. The dining room, the kitchen, the living room, the deck, and the pool, are linked together in a common space, while each unfolds from its movable facade of wooden doors, resolving climate relationships independently and sustainably. The most intimate and contemplative connection happens in the pieces of concrete and wood that contain the rooms, suggesting a protected, safe place, in which, each inhabitant would individually define the type of link with its immediate exterior, from its reading of the place.

Designed by award-winning firm Alterstudio Architecture, this riverside house has a central courtyard that gives it an accordion shape.

Immerse yourself in the harmonious blend of nature and design at the LL House, a masterpiece…