luciano kruk stacks concrete volumes to build a ‘house in the trees’ in buenos aires

on a wooded area of land close to the coastline of costa esmeralda in buenos aires, architect luciano kruk has designed a holiday home for a private client. built on a sloping site amid the trees, the new intervention employs kruk’s characteristic use of an exposed concrete structure to create a contemporary, and almost sculptural, residence. 

all images © daniela mac adden

the building is designed by kruk with a minimal footprint in an effort to reduce the impact on the surrounding natural environment. built over three storys, the concrete house rests on a small service core, with the two main volumes stacked on top. the second floor is reached by an external staircase and comprises an open-plan social space, which includes a kitchen, dining and living area. on the upper level, a greater degree of privacy is afforded for three bedrooms.  

the house includes an outdoor swimming pool that is accessed from the living space, but is articulated as a detached, secondary element to the main volume. the brief from the client required that the building could also be rented out in the future. with this in mind, the interiors are kept minimal, with the defining material being the exposed concrete structure. 

encircled by trees, the glazed elements of the house are increased to provide natural light while still offering protection from excessive solar gain thanks to the surrounding leaves. the generous amount of windows allows the house to blend into its location by means of the reflective surfaces, blurring the line between the interior and exterior. dark bronze anodized aluminum has been selected for the external window frames to make them inconspicuous. in this way, the contrast between the transparent spans of glazing and the concrete shell is emphasized.

with its proximity to the coastline, the architect decided to set the house back beyond the minimum limit required by regulations. this is just one of the methods kruk has utilized to create a more respectful intervention. by also selecting an honest architectural expression of exposed concrete and reducing the footprint to form a ‘floating’ volume, the resulting residence intends to merge with the wooded environment while providing residents with privacy and seclusion. 

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project info:

project name: house in the trees

location: costa esmeralda, buenos aires, argentina 

architect: luciano kruk

project manager: arch. belén ferrand

construction managers: arch. leandro rossi – arch. fernando casaux alsina – dan saragusti

collaborators: arch. andrés conde blanco – denise andreoli

site area: 11,947.94 ft2 (1110 m2)

built area: 1991.32 ft2 (185 m2)

construction year: 2019

photography: daniela mac adden