The process of materializing architectural ideas involves taking into account various construction and economic factors, among others, which in one way or another will have an impact on the quality of life of its future inhabitants or users. Achieving the highest thermal comfort in interior spaces and achieving the lowest possible environmental impact are just some of the objectives that architecture professionals set for themselves when designing and defining the materials that will accompany their projects.
Now, what materials can be used to achieve the least possible building maintenance? What strategies can be developed so that the passage of time does not damage the buildings? How is it possible to think of houses that, based on their materials, are capable of lasting over time and maintaining their quality?
Below, we present a series of houses within the diverse Argentine territory that have been designed from their material conception to require the least possible maintenance in order to see the years go by and continue to meet the needs of its inhabitants.
La Escocesa House / DUB Arquitectura
- Location: Veinticinco de Mayo, Provincia de Buenos Aires, Argentina
- Year: 2022
"Low or no maintenance was the focus of the choice of materials for the envelope, both internally and externally. For this reason, we chose to use folded sheet metal for the exteriors and interiors of bathrooms, and phenolic plates (plywood) for the interiors."
Learn more about this project here.
San Lorenzo Duplex Houses / Brat Arquitectos
- Location: Cordoba, Argentina
- Year: 2022
"Both on the exterior and interior we sought to place materials that require low maintenance, even the white color of the upper floor is intended to simplify maintenance for new owners or tenants, since it is the most economical tone, so there is a greater likelihood of maintaining a unique color for the whole."
Learn more about this project here.
House VV / Federico García Arquitecto + Juan Barbero Arquitecto
- Location: La Plata, Provincia de Buenos Aires, Argentina
- Year: 2022
"The house was designed in reinforced concrete, exposed brick with horizontal joints, and PVC carpentry with high-performance DVH glass. The choice of these materials not only poses a sought-after language but also minimizes their maintenance and guarantees us very good aging."
Learn more about this project here.
Casa Hache 01 / Pablo Dellatorre + Studio Brava
- Location: Cordoba, Argentina
- Year: 2022
"With a modern industrial style, this 270-square-meter house proposes a relaxed lifestyle, with noble and local materials that allow it to be enjoyed with zero maintenance."
Learn more about this project here.
House in El Paraíso / Cintia Colazzo + Adolfo Schlieper Arquitectos
- Location: Ramallo, Provincia de Buenos Aires, Argentina
- Year: 2021
"To materialize the construction, exposed concrete was used, seeking to exploit its sculptural qualities and at the same time almost completely avoid subsequent maintenance during the useful life of the house. The exposed concrete serves as structure, enclosure, and floor and has no exterior or interior finish. Responding to the stereotomic and telluric character that we considered for this house in this location."
Learn more about this project here.
House CRM / Primer Piso Arquitectos
- Location: Guaymallen, Mendoza, Argentina
- Year: 2021
"In response to the tight budget, the construction system is the traditional one, with bricks manufactured just a couple of kilometers away and limestone tiles that are glued with cement, instead of using ceramics and glue for that task. The concrete structure has been left bare. An exposed metal substructure and the lightweight thermo-panel roof of sheet metal and foam without a ceiling reveal the soul of the ceiling and force the installations to be worked on in plain view, with industrial-type galvanized trays... The choice of the studio, which is repeated in this work, is with a palette of materials that avoid eccentricities and guarantees noble aging with minimum maintenance costs."
Learn more about this project here.
House Pl / BILBAO| LOPEZ
- Location: La Plata, Provincia de Buenos Aires, Argentina
- Year: 2021
"In search of a pure and simple aesthetic, the house was materialized in such a way that the reinforced concrete structure would be visible, and where the design and distribution of the spaces were done following the modulation of the phenolic panels and the lines they left when they were stripped. This allowed us not only to have less exterior maintenance and waste, but also the spatial fluidity and relationship of the interior space with the surrounding vegetation that was sought."
Learn more about this project here.
Casa E15 / Centro Cero
- Location: Marcos Paz, Provincia de Buenos Aires, Argentina
- Year: 2021
"Particularly in this project, the constructive logic arose from the very beginning, resulting in an opportunity to develop a system that would combine noble, visible, low-maintenance materials that would tolerate construction in successive stages. The result is a house that is defined by this material logic, both in its modules and in its installations and equipment."
Learn more about this project here.
Three Houses and a Carob Tree / BALDIO ARQUITECTURA
- Location: Cordoba, Argentina
- Year: 2021
"Materials are always selected by us according to their nobility, low maintenance, and expression. We prefer rough materials on the outside, which can withstand inclement weather and more polished materials on the inside. The colors are very neutral, whites, grays, and light wood bringing warmth to the interiors."
Learn more about this project here.
Bioclimatic House in Villa Parque Siquiman / APS/ Pablo Senmartin arquitectos
- Location: Villa Parque Síquiman, Cordoba, Argentina
- Year: 2021
"The floors are made of pine tongue-and-groove boards planted for construction, simplicity won out over technical decisions in search of a unique and sober image that begins to blend in with the perimeter forest. Low maintenance with local recycled materials. Somehow going against some values of our time, taking certain traditions, resigning in exterior expression, but gaining in interior quality, which in the end that environmental quality is what matters when it comes to living".
Learn more about this project here.
House in Candonga / Fomento Estudio
- Location: Cordoba, Argentina
- Year: 2021
"Conceived as a house away from any urbanization and of intermittent use, it is mainly based on constructive simplicity and low maintenance. The plinth that unifies and structures the house was built with stone masonry collected on the site. From the lintel levels, the exposed concrete beams and partitions form the slopes to receive a sloping roof with a wooden structure. On the north skirt of the sloping roof are arranged the photovoltaic panels for the generation of electrical energy."
Learn more about this project here.
Atelier House / LOMA Arq +
- Location: San Lorenzo, Cordoba, Argentina
- Year: 2020
"The imperfection of its regional materials, such as locally-produced, high-temperature, mud-fired bricks, blends with the reinforced concrete and the warmth of wood. Very low-maintenance materials were used that wear out over time and collaborate with energy savings, as they were carefully selected after an extensive climate study."
Learn more about this project here.
Casa Amigo / Estudio Mono
- Location: Merlo, San Luis, Argentina
- Year: 2020
"The material definition of the house is related to; on the one hand, the nobility, expression, and low maintenance of exposed brick and concrete, and on the other hand the possibility of maximizing the connection between inside and outside that steel and glass give us."
Learn more about this project here.
Casa Bitelhaus / Alric Galindez Arquitectos
- Location: Los Polvorines, Provincia de Buenos Aires, Argentina
- Year: 2020
"On its exterior, the house is covered by white pre-painted sheet metal with a sliding panel system that allows it to meet the premise of being low maintenance, providing protection from morning light and greater insulation at night, as well as easily closing the house completely when not in use and opening it up to enjoy the outdoor spaces."
Learn more about this project here.
House FG / DIPA Arquitectos
- Location: Provincia de Buenos Aires, Argentina
- Year: 2020
"In response to the owners' request for "zero maintenance", the idea was to use noble materials that maintain their properties over time for the exterior, such as Corten steel and fair-faced concrete."
Learn more about the project here.
House Santina / Estudio Opaco
- Location: Cordoba, Argentina
- Year: 2020
"In its exterior, brick is used for the entire envelope, even being used as a screen to intensify the aforementioned privacy. Concrete is another element that appears both on the exterior and interior with the intention of creating a house that will remain over time without the need for major maintenance and respecting the environment and its location."
Learn more about this project here.
Black House / Juan Barbero Arquitecto
- Location: Coronel Brandsen, Provincia de Buenos Aires, Argentina
- Year: 2020
"We tried to use noble materials, raw, with the least possible maintenance and good aging. Iron gave us the necessary slenderness to minimally interfere with the visuals. Concrete the elasticity we needed to cover large spans, and the rusticity that combined with wood gave us the neutrality we were looking for."
Learn more about the project here.
Buen Orden House / Guaresti/Altieri Arquitectura
- Location: Pinamar, Provincia de Buenos Aires, Argentina
- Year: 2020
"Main idea: zero maintenance. Every decision arises from that premise: exposed concrete as a finish, black masonry parts, black pvc carpentry. The use of metals and wood in exteriors is totally avoided, as they can be damaged by the proximity to the sea and the salty environment."
Learn more about this project here.
House 93 / Estudio V2 Arquitectos
- Location: La Plata, Provincia de Buenos Aires, Argentina
- Year: 2020
"The client asked us for a low-cost weekend house, which would later become their permanent home, so we chose to use raw materials and low maintenance. The use of exposed concrete predominates in partition walls, floors, ceilings, and fixed furniture. For the partitions, vertical pine boards were used as formwork, which were then treated and used as façade cladding."
Learn more about this project here.
La Paisanita Refuge / STC Arquitectos
- Location: La Paisanita, Cordoba, Argentina
- Year: 2020
"The project pursues a recycling awareness discourse, proposing a sustainable solution that reuses different materials in function of an austere, economical and easy to maintain architecture that adapts to the site constraints."
Learn more about this project here.
* The texts are descriptions sent by the authors of the projects themselves.
