RDR architectes expands 'morro chico' ranch in argentinian patagonia

photographer cristóbal palma has shared these images of a renovated and expanded ranch in argentinian patagonia that dates back to the beginning of the 20th century. designed by RDR architectes, ‘estancia morro chico’ combines a complex for sheep farming with a newly built family home. conceived as a ‘compact village’, the buildings that make up the complex are clad with corrugated iron, which contrasts the use of wood that continues internally.

image © cristóbal palma (also main image)

RDR architectes added a series of new buildings to the existing complex, including a depot for storage, a sheep-shearing shed, a building for staff accommodation, and a family house. for the construction, the architects used a system of prefabricated wood and metal, clad with corrugated iron — not very different from the materials used by immigrants that arrived in the region at the end of the 19th century. the residential part of the plan includes the most amount of timber, with less wood used for the more utilitarian buildings such as the sheep-shearing shed.

image © cristóbal palma

drawing from the region’s traditional architecture, which the architects say ‘demonstrated extreme austerity and an almost primitive simplicity’, the project comprises a series of well-defined variations on the theme of sheds with corrugated roofs. for example, simple forms have been used for the sheep-shearing shed, while other, more complex forms make up the configuration of the larger family house.

image © cristóbal palma

in order to comply with the proposed energy concept, all heated buildings, whether new or existing, were insulated and covered with the same corrugated sheets, creating a unified exterior for the entire complex. one of the site’s most notable improvements was the introduction of systems that produce clean and renewable energy. this was achieved by the introduction of solar panels and wind turbines, as well as by using a wood-burning boiler using wood from the surrounding forests.

image © cristóbal palma

project info:

name: estancia morro chico

architect: RDR architectes

use: complex for sheep farming and family home

location: paraje puente blanco, ruta nacional n° 40, santa cruz, argentina

floor area: 5,260 sqm / 56,618 sqf

team lausanne: ignacio dahl rocha, santiago pagés

team buenos aires: ignacio dahl rocha, bruno emmer, facundo morando, susana barra, agustín azar, clara carrera, roberto lombardi, pablo peirano, sofía vivacqua

general contractor: enobra SA

structural engineer: ing. alejandra fogel

sanitary engineer: LAH

landscape architect: ernestina anchorena

other consultants: dante melano, frisia SA climatizaciones, estia, sursolar
photography: cristóbal palma