This lopsided house by Argentinean studio Adamo-Faiden has a pointed balcony poking out of one side and a caged terrace on the roof (+ movie + photos by Cristobal Palma).
Located in Villa Adelina, a suburb in the north of Buenos Aires, the two-storey Casa Martos butts up against a neighbouring commercial building of the same height and Adamo-Faiden has matched the proportions of the volumes to tie together the conflicting architectural styles.
The facade of the house faces south-west, which architect Marcelo Faiden explains was to bring in natural light and prevent any issues with overlooking windows from the other two properties. "This decision allowed us to cover the ten-metre-high party wall, maintaining the existing sunlight and generating long views to the new house," he said.
The balcony shelf protrudes from this glazed elevation behind a layer of metal fencing, creating a ledge of plants beside the first floor window. Faiden added: "From the inside, the vegetation of the double enclosure seems to merge with the patio of the next plot."
A small room and garage occupy the ground floor of the house, while the bedroom, bathroom and living room are positioned on the first floor.
The architects compare the project with Casas Lago, their first built project, which also features a rooftop terrace. "In both cases the new construction tries to create a relation with the urban fabric through an immaterial, open air room located on the terrace," said Faiden.
Since completing Casas Lago, Adamo Faiden has worked on a number of residential projects, including designs for social housing on top of existing homes and a housing block that could also be used as offices. See more architecture by Adamo Faiden.
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Photography is by Cristobal Palma. See all our stories featuring Cristobal Palma's photos.
Here's a short description from Adamo-Faiden:
Martos House
The house is located in Villa Adelina, a neighbourhood in the north area of Buenos Aires suburbs where great commercial activities, industries and housing coexist.
The construction is close to the street in a lot where a prefabricated house already occupies the central area of it.
The characteristics of the buildings nearby, determine the position of the new house. An industrial building generates towards one side a 10 meters height division wall that is used to structure lengthwise the house while orientating all the interior spaces towards the garden of the opposite field.
A metal tray runs all along the structure length, becoming a shell for a new vegetation that gazes from the inside and seems to merge with the neighbouring garden.
Above: site plan - click above for larger image
Above: ground floor plan - click above for larger image
Above: first floor plan - click above for larger image
Above: roof plan - click above for larger image
Above: section aa - click above for larger image
Above: section bb - click above for larger image
Above: section cc - click above for larger image
Above: front elevation - click above for larger image
Above: rear elevation - click above for larger image