Outdoor spaces are sheltered beneath the flat roof of this house in Argentina, designed by architects office Celula Urbana to take advantage of its scenic riverside setting (+ slideshow).
Santa Fe-based Celula Urbana designed the compact property for a site surrounded by trees and wild shrubbery to the southwest of the city, on the banks of the RÃo Coronda.
This led to a design where rooms feature entire walls of glazing and terraces are created beneath the shelter of the roof, offering occupants a privileged view of the landscape.
"It all started with a wonderful landscape, typical of the coast, where wetlands and biodiversity stay around," explained architect Juan Pablo Temporelli.
"From the very beginning it was sought to reflect on two principal elements, which shape the necessity of shelter, and the ground and ceiling planes," he said.
The house is named House 50 50 – in reference to its half-indoor, half-outdoor design – and is L-shaped in plan, framing a driveway at the property's entrance.
The roof has the same L shape, sheltering terraces at two ends of the building and a pathway that connects them.
"The gallery, designed as the articulation between the artificial and the natural, gains relevance in a project that has 50 square metres covered and 50 square metres semi-covered," said Temporelli.
"This partially covered space is the space that allows welfare and comfort."
The largest room in the house is an open-plan living space, featuring a small dining area and a simple kitchen. Behind it, a small corridor leads through to a bathroom and bedroom.
Materials are left exposed throughout, creating continuation between indoor and outdoor spaces. These range from the red bricks that form the walls, to the lengths of wood that provide the underside of the roof.
Square tiles provide flooring in the bedroom and kitchen, matching similar tiles laid across the terraces. Other finishes include a wooden floor in the living area and colourful mosaic tiles across the bathroom walls.
Photography is by Ramiro Sosa.
