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Architects: IR arquitectura, Joaquin Portela
- Year: 2024
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Photographs:Joaquin Portela
Text description provided by the architects. La Soñada is a single-family home located in Chapadmalal, a small town near the city of Mar del Plata, in the southern part of the Province of Buenos Aires. It is a coastal enclave with a relaxed atmosphere, characterized by cliffs overlooking the Atlantic Ocean, extensive beaches, and dunes interspersed with native vegetation. The parcel distribution is organized among winding dirt roads and streams, with plots varying in size and constructed volumes scattered among large groves that shield them from the wind.
The general site conditions, the specific characteristics of the plot, and the required use dictate the design strategies. A dense forest at the entrance of the lot and the opening of views and orientations towards the back suggest the final location of the house, acting as a mediator between landscapes. The programs are arranged along the perimeter, forming a ring that organizes the uses while resolving the supporting structure and freeing a larger central space.
Uses that require more privacy alternate within the perimeter ring with semi-covered spaces that provide the social area with cross-ventilation and defined views. The roof over the central space rises above the perimeter ring to ensure a greater range of natural light throughout the day.
The structure is made up of two systems. The foundations are made up of 60 1.20m piles and chained beams, which are completed with a 12cm thick concrete slab. A dry construction system with a wooden structure is supported on this base. The wall box is built with standard pine 2x4-inch braces, treated in an autoclave using a vacuum-pressure system with water-soluble salts, which guarantees its durability over time.
The braces respond to pressure loads and the structural OSB stiffening plates to bending. The envelopes are then completed with horizontal siding on the outside, made of semi-hardwood treated with the Japanese burning technique, and on the inside, a cladding of boards in the living room and painted plasterboards in the rest of the rooms. The central body of the house was built using point-and-beam construction, thus making the structure of the central space independent from the rest of the house.
