‘casa S’ by jose pablo lotorto, buenos aires, argentina image © pedro funes all images courtesy of jose pablo lotorto

argentinian architect jose pablo lotorto has recently completed ‘casa S’ in francisco alvarez, a newly developed suburb of buenos aires approximately 45 kilometers west of the capital. situated perpendicularly, the wings turn their back to the street while opening to an inner courtyard for privacy. an integrated reinforced concrete framing system with solid planes acts as the primary structure. several bends and folds in the volumes help support their own load and give a feeling of weightlessness to the large overhanging masses. a centrally located staircase at the juncture of both components serves all areas of the residence equally and efficiently, connecting the private upstairs bedrooms with the social gathering functions downstairs.

the windows of the street facade are smaller and frosted while the double-pane interior-facing windows are large and clear, extending views to the backyard. the geometrically orthogonal design creates deep eaves and pergolas that function to control the solar gain. material surfaces are left exposed without further treatment; natural guayubira wood is used for the floor finishes as well as interior and exterior walls, and stone and plaster highlight the remainder of the veneers interacting with the concrete members.

jose pablo lotorto: casa S outside face image © pedro funes

jose pablo lotorto: casa S entry image © pedro funes

jose pablo lotorto: casa S exterior of house image © pedro funes

jose pablo lotorto: casa S concrete and plaster connection image © pedro funes

jose pablo lotorto: casa S street-side of house and wood garage door image © pedro funes

jose pablo lotorto: casa S (left) garage (right) entry image © pedro funes

jose pablo lotorto: casa S garage door detail image © pedro funes

jose pablo lotorto: casa S courtyard and garage image © pedro funes

jose pablo lotorto: casa S courtyard and garage image © pedro funes

jose pablo lotorto: casa S folding concrete structure image © pedro funes

jose pablo lotorto: casa S upstairs image © pedro funes

jose pablo lotorto: casa S upstairs terrace and pergola image © pedro funes

jose pablo lotorto: casa S interior looking towards terrace image © pedro funes

jose pablo lotorto: casa S interior image © pedro funes

jose pablo lotorto: casa S living area image © pedro funes

jose pablo lotorto: casa S (left) kitchen (right) interior concrete beam image © pedro funes

jose pablo lotorto: casa S concrete frame structure

jose pablo lotorto: casa S floor plan / level 0

jose pablo lotorto: casa S floor plan / level 1

jose pablo lotorto: casa S section

jose pablo lotorto: casa S section

jose pablo lotorto: casa S elevation

jose pablo lotorto: casa S elevation

jose pablo lotorto: casa S elevation