A warm palette of wood and concrete lends a domestic feel to these offices for a law firm in the Argentinian town of Monte Buey.
Local architecture studio BAMO designed the offices for a small firm called Estudio Jurídico MORON, which operates out of the town in Argentina's Córdoba province.
Located on a main road containing residential and commercial properties, the building's low-rise construction is intended to help it sit comfortably in its surroundings.
A board-marked concrete wall and adjoining solid metal gate at the entrance to the driveway form a protective barrier separating the building from the street.
A pre-weathered steel gate formed of vertical slats at the other end of the wall offers a glimpse through towards the office. The space is reached via a path and decking that extend alongside a gravel garden containing an olive tree.
Once inside, the building immediately takes on a more intimate, residential feel. This is achieved through the use of comfortable, domestic furniture, plants, art on the walls and views of outdoor spaces at either end.
"The professional and owner set out his needs, namely simplicity, ample well-lit spaces and a private office integrated into a meeting room," said the architects.
The entire frontage between the party walls on either side is glazed to provide a view out onto the courtyard from inside a timber-lined reception area.
The building's H-shaped plan comprises this reception space and the owner's office at the rear, with a monolithic wood-panelled volume positioned at the centre.
Doors concealed in the timber surfaces on this central element provide access to a washroom, a kitchen and storage, while skylights on either side allow daylight to flood into the interior.
The spaces flanking the timber box function like small courtyards, separating the reception and office. One features a gravel bed with a large potted plant at its centre, while decking on the other side leads through to the next room.
"The challenge was creating an open integrating office, breaking plans of traditional law firms, while keeping the privacy required for its clients," said the team.
The main office space is afforded greater privacy by positioning it at the rear of the building, where more full-height glazing faces onto a lawn with a tangerine tree at its centre.
Materials including concrete, wood and brickwork are used in their raw or natural state to create what the architects described as "a simple, warm, masculine space".
Photography is by Gonzalo Viramonte.