estudio galera rests monolithic home on concrete stilts in argentina

fragata house hovers above the alamos neighborhood

Minimalist and monolithic, Fragata House rises above the streetscape in northwest Pinamar, Argentina, as a floating concrete cube. Designed by Estudio Galera, the closed monovolume hovers 4 meters above the flat street level, elevated by ten concrete columns to enjoy expansive across the neighborhood and maximize use of the site’s square footage. Its program has been divided between protected and outdoor spaces to adapt to the fluctuating weather conditions through a series of enclosed, open, and semi-covered zones.

The space underneath the home is designed for flexible use to host a variety of functions depending on the needs of the inhabitants, ranging from a sheltered parking lot to a barbecue spot. Upstairs, a box nests all the covered activities, separating the public from the private areas with a core staircase that houses a study, accessible by reversing the direction of general circulation.

all images by Javier Agustin Rojas

a configuration of open, enclosed, and semi-outdoor spaces

Fragata House is sited in the growing urban landscape of the Alamos neighborhood, standing as a horizontal volume that delimits the space, giving it a human scale and transforming itself by its imprint into part of the air. The team at Estudio Galera sites the dwelling perpendicular to the street, with all rooms opening completely to the north beyond the ground floor of the neighboring homes. Further, due to its positioning in height and leaning against the opposite setback, and the characteristics of implantation and regulatory restrictions, Fragata House is able to enjoy open, uninterrupted views of the forest in the center of the block and of the distant Alamos Boulevard.

Elevating its monovolume form, Estudio Galera was able to optimally utilize the site, particularly ensuring that the empty space underneath is taken advantage of with a host of activities. Here, the architects created a versatile area defined by functionality, including a parking, playroom, gym, or barbecue area. As there are no fences or adjoining constructions to set limits, urban gestures such as street feeder pillars and vehicular footprints mark the division between the urban condition and the private one, turning the lot into an appendix of the public space.

Estudio Galera rests Fragata House on concrete stilts

estudio galera’s minimal form maximizes space

The material palette creates a pure and minimalist aesthetic, achieved by a fusion of concrete, aluminum, and glass. On the inside, this is supplemented with wooden accents and a partially exposed structure with inclined pillars. Its low maintenance form is also further reflected in Estudio Galera’s treatment of the landscape as the plot maintains the natural and native state of the dune.

The same scheme covers the connection of these elements under the sand and trusses of beams over the entire surface on the ground floor. Here, the loads coming from the roof by blunt partition walls and columns blend with the carpentry profiles at front and become evenly distributed. On the roof, the beams hold slabs at different levels defining the spaces they contain.

a series of enclosed, open, and semi-external spaces