JN house | Speziale Linares arquitectos

This property is located in a closed suburban neighborhood , 30 minutes distance from the city of Buenos Aires , Argentina . The construction limits at the front, back and sides which imposes the neighborhood regulations result in a very sparse cityscape with a  high natural character. The background of this lot in particular overlooks a lake with a water surface of 24 hectares, which is the great articulator and protagonist of the urbanization.

The request was made by a couple of 70 years old who is semi retired of their work activity and specially enjoy the contact with nature in peaceful surroundings. Their family includes 3 children and 2 grandchildren who do not live with them but make regular visits, information that was relevant for the assembly of the program needs. The house is used permanently by two people but have to be prepared to host their children with their spouses and grandchildren.

The idea of the project is the result of the combination of an extensive functional program, the appropriation of a long narrow field , seeking to maximize the lake visuals and the natural light. To achieve this, we divide the program into different units called "boxes" that were stratified by levels: ground floor , first and second floor. The link between them is given by "connectors" that have external views or function as inputs of natural light. At the same time , they articulate the "boxes" using empty spaces and creating three "layers" which  its stacking generates the final morphology of the work.

In the ground floor, these "boxes" contain the garage, the service area , the kitchen and the living – dining room . On the first floor, there are four and are composed of three bedrooms with bathroom each and the master bedroom with bathroom and dressing room. Finally , on the second floor , the "box" is a large multipurpose space . The "connectors" are the horizontal and vertical linkages between them and contain the access , the stairs, the elevator and the circulation in general .

In summary, regarding the program , the owners wanted a house with a large and integrated social space , another social space for a much private use (for the couple) and a number of independent rest areas ( bedrooms) with their services. For this purpose, we generate  the great living - dining room and the kitchen , which is integrated through sliding panels, that merges with outer space from where not only you have spectacular views of the lake but also a direct contact with the garden, pool and dock. As more private social space, where the owners could develop and share recreational activities such as music , reading and cinema , we propose the entire second floor as the large multipurpose space that houses the TV , piano and library. Note that this place offers the chance to contemplate the landscape from a different perspective . Considering the age of the owners we also propose an elevator to provide easy accessibility to all levels of the house.

To reaffirm the architectural , programmatic and morphological idea of ​​a group of stacked boxes articulated by light connectors , we used different materials with different textures and colors. On the one hand,  the "boxes " are opaque , with limited and specific drillings and are materialized in stone or plastic coatings . On the other  hand, the "connectors" are mostly of glass and aluminum and appear as light-harvesting ethereal spaces .