this house in buenos aires is a concrete box that floats above a garden lagoon

a contemporary home in buenos aires

argentina-based architects at estudio PKa complete a dwelling in buenos aires dubbed casa E. sited on a corner lot in the neighborhood of barrio isla del sol, the house is made up as a composition of timber, concrete, and glass volumes. the design of the project sees the team’s response to the atypical dimension of the plot, and is organized as an L-shaped bar filled in with two intimate garden patios. while one of these gardens surrounds the L-shaped volume, another is nestled within it and is occupied by a lagoon-like swimming pool.

images © alejandro peral | @alejandroperalphotography

the floating concrete box

with its casa E, the architects at estudio PKa take full advantage of the land, celebrating the pockets of leftover space and introducing lush plant life. the two patios are removed from the view of the street and the neighboring houses through the use of a wall of greenery along with a timber fence built of vertical slats. 

the house itself its organized across two levels. the ground floor volume is made up of ‘noble’ materials including wood and glass — the wood introduces a warmth to the dwelling while the glass opens up the interiors to invite views of the gardens into the space. meanwhile, the upper volume is built in concrete to suggest a floating, solid form. 

casa e by estudio pka

the team at estudio PKa comments on the process of designing its casa E: ‘both volumes were worked from different perforations that make up void fills, providing a void to the north with respect to the patio. the work was projected thinking of a more introverted relationship towards the street and opening towards the interior and nature.

‘enhancing its relationship with green, it has two windows in the shape of eyes that stand out, which focus on the greatest amount of green around, capturing not only the best light but also the best visuals, related to the existing trees on the ground.’

resulting space on the plot is filled in with intimate garden patios

a private garden hosts a lagoon-like swimming pool

full-height glass opens up the interiors and invites views of the gardens inside

the swimming pool is surrounded by a wall of greenery

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project info:

project title: casa E

architecture: estudio PKa | @estudiopka

location: barrio isla del sol, tigre, buenos aires, argentina

design team: lilian kandus, ignacio pessagno, lucila lópez, denise andreoli, belén luna crook, milagros caride, belen lopez astrada, vanesa rolón, denise bardelli, melany d’angelo, sofia vier abinet, pablo martinelli, javier orts

completion: 2020

photography: alejandro peral | @alejandroperalphotography