Text description provided by the architects. José Ignacio is a town in Uruguay, blessed by its landscape and lifestyle. It occupies a very small peninsula surrounded by sea and beautiful beaches, where life takes place in an atmosphere unstructured and informal. It was an old fishing village, with original grid blocks subdivided into lots of approx. 18 x 45 and raised above the sea level.
Considerations
In a summerhouse the use and the quality of the open air spaces are essential. At the same time, the program required an amount of internal square meters that left no room for exterior spaces. The house is on two floors: a massive and compact basement- of maximum width and length allowed by the regulations- releases the upper floor to develop the public life in relationship with the pergolas and patios.
The basement contains the private spaces, bedrooms, with extensions to side yards, the playroom with independent entries, and the services. The upper floor is articulates by separate light volumes in wood and glass, whose facades are closed to the outside and open inwards, connected by steps glazes, which are arranged so as to create courtyards and galleries of different scales and weather conditions, regulating the wind, views, sunlight and privacy.
A central oasis (with palm included) includes the pool, flanked by two galleries, the living-room with fireplace and barbecue area with grill. Two shaded patios , the garden and a solarium deck complete the outdoor spaces. The facades have different qualities, according to orientation, wind and views: The south and east façades are opaque and closed, controlling the constant winds .The west facade is completed with four palms that control the views of curious neighbors.
The garden design
The Basement is surrounded by vines that hide in the house into the ground. Shrubs from the perimeter fence in the lateral and bottom, creating a unique green space to the north.
