-
Architects: Gonzalo Bardach arquitectura
- Area: 280 m²
- Year: 2023
-
Photographs:César Béjar
-
Lead Architect: Gonzalo Bardach
Text description provided by the architects. The project is located on the coast of Buenos Aires, Argentina, nestled in a coniferous forest, on a dune that is used to construct emotional and experiential architecture, through the connection between the exterior and the interior.
This connection encompasses the natural topography and utilizes the existing slope to build a refuge, a timeless place where emptiness and perspective are framed.
The morphology of the project harmonizes architecture and landscape, with fluid and organic forms that integrate through the heart of the project: an emptiness that allows for a connection with the surrounding forest, integrating the front and back, using the dune to create a space for contemplation and silence, a place to connect with nature.
Light plays a fundamental role in the project, contributing to the creation of a unique and changing atmosphere in the space. The architecture becomes a living canvas where light filters through the leaves of the trees, creating shadow patterns that delicately dance over the surfaces. In this refuge in the midst of the forest, sunlight becomes a dynamic element that constantly transforms the perception of the space, inviting a deeper connection with nature and oneself.
The materials are used in their pure state, such as liquid stone, wood, iron, and glass, allowing for unique spaces due to their warmth, requiring minimal maintenance throughout their life cycle, and integrating organically into the environment. Liquid stone emerges as the distinctive and expressive element of the project, adapting to the topography of the land and facilitating a seamless relationship between architecture and the surrounding landscape. The work materially integrates into the environment, and this connection generates a sense of rootedness and refuge in the middle of the forest.
The landscape design has been constructed through a botanical research process of native species from the eco-region of the Buenos Aires coast. The result is a three-dimensional, multi-species landscape design, not only for humans but also serving as support for other species.
An organic and less controlled approach to garden design and maintenance is proposed, where the landscape design does not follow static patterns but is conceived to evolve and change naturally over time. Biodiversity and adaptability become important, promoting the idea of allowing plants to grow and develop spontaneously, enabling the garden to acquire its own rhythm and personality. The result is the beauty and vitality of nature in constant change.
The program is distributed on a single floor, organized through three semi-buried pavilions whose roofs are anchored to the ground, creating a topography absorbed by the forest. The pavilions are connected by a garden roof that covers a central space between the pavilions, which house the resting and service areas, while the social program is positioned in the central space: the kitchen, dining room, and living room, integrated into a gallery, as well as all the natural levels of the landscape.
The bio-environmental design, which carefully considers solar orientations and wind patterns, reflects our commitment to sustainability, prioritizing natural lighting in all spaces, and cross ventilation that allows for maintaining thermal comfort naturally.
The essence of Forest architecture arises from a dream, the desire to restore the lost connection between nature and humanity. It seeks to revitalize this ancestral relationship, creating spaces that invite contemplation and introspection. Architecture is not just a physical construction, but an emotional and experiential expression that celebrates the beauty and harmony of the natural environment.
