estudio PKa curates lightness in concrete with floating volumes of its casa sakura

overlooking a lagoon in argentina, estudio PKa‘s casa sakura is expressed as a monumental stack of concrete volumes. oriented to the north, the house opens up on one side to generate an outward-facing, light-filled entrance patio with abundant vegetation. this space offers a functional ‘bellows and an articulator’ — a transition between the street and the threshold of the house, this patio serves as the heart of the project and the point from which all circulation originates.

the west-facing facade of estudio PKa‘s casa sakura is enclosed by a sliding timber gate. this gate, with its expressive materiality, is hidden when opened so that the space is transformed with a scenographic atmosphere and welcomes a garden pathway as it changes form. the design team notes: ‘the idea is to go through different sensations — first we can appreciate the music room, with different instruments used by the family, which also eventually opens above a multipurpose space, generating flexibility of environments. we continue walking and we find the central patio with abundant vegetation and the entrance door that is hierarchized with a wooden paneling that manages to make it go unnoticed.’

upon entering the estudio PKa-designed casa sakura, visitors cross below a floating volume, which hosts a home office space. this design-minded home office further overlooks the double height living room from an interior balcony. the elevated space serves to frame the landscape upon approach and directs visitors toward a swimming pool where the mirrored water visually merges with the lagoon. continuing the language of floating volumes, the entrance hall stair seems to defy gravity with its loose steps, designed and built with the sensation of being in flight.

project info:

project title: casa sakura

architecture: estudio PKa | @estudiopka

location: puertos del lago, escobar, argentina

principles in charge: ignacio pessagno, lilian kandus

construction: estudio PKa

structure: jose luis pisani

completion: 2020