jose pablo lotorto: casa S

‘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.

outside face image © pedro funes

entry image © pedro funes

exterior of house image © pedro funes

concrete and plaster connection image © pedro funes

street-side of house and wood garage door image © pedro funes

(left) garage (right) entry image © pedro funes

garage door detail image © pedro funes

courtyard and garage image © pedro funes

courtyard and garage image © pedro funes

folding concrete structure image © pedro funes

upstairs image © pedro funes

upstairs terrace and pergola image © pedro funes

interior looking towards terrace image © pedro funes

interior image © pedro funes

living area image © pedro funes

(left) kitchen (right) interior concrete beam image © pedro funes

concrete frame structure

floor plan / level 0

floor plan / level 1

section

section

elevation

elevation

elevation