Concrete house is on a Buenos Aires sand dune

Concrete retreat by Luciano Kruk sits on a sand-dune in Buenos Aires

A concrete volume projects from the top of a sand dune to form the upper level of this holiday home on the Argentinian coastline by local architect Luciano Kruk (+ slideshow).

Casa MR – a cast concrete and timber-clad house made from two intersecting cuboids – is situated on a vegetated and sandy plot on the Costa Esmeralda, a stretch of coastline outside Buenos Aires.

Luciano Kruk built a property of two halves to retain the natural slope of the site, and used the peak of the sand dune to support one end of the upper storey.

This upper volume stretches off to the top of the dune, spanning a tiled patio at the bottom of the four-metre drop, but also leans across the middle of the perpendicular volume on the lower level.

"Seeking to not change in the least the original topography, we decided to split the program into two simple volumes," said Kruk. "The proposal seeks to preserve the most of the wonderful qualities of the place."

Large panels of sliding glass bracket the two bedrooms in the upper volume. They connect to a rooftop terrace on one side, and an external corridor that runs along the other.

Planks of vibrant red-brown timber are set at intervals between the concrete base and roof slab to screen the walkway from an access road.

A flight of cast concrete steps lead down the side of the building to the lower level, while another descends into the centre of the lower volume.

The social areas of the house are spread across this lower block. They sit within the confines of a glazed box with dark aluminium frames.

The glass is set back from the edge of the slab to provide a polished concrete patio, partially shaded by a further row of timber slats.

Concrete furniture is integrated around the open stair, which divides the kitchen and a guest bedroom from the living room.

A dining table extends from a wall fragment in one direction, while in the sitting room a wood-burning stove with black metalwork is set into concrete shelving.