estudio HMA unfolds office house into two separate volumes

estudio HMA unfolds office house into two separate volumes
photo © federico kulekdjian
all images courtesy of estudio HMA

‘office & house luna’ is a project by estudio HMA located in the southern part of the city of buenos aires, precisely in parque patricios, a neighborhood that is being promoted as a technological pole. this characteristic of the environment motivated the client to start the construction of a building that unfolds into two separate volumes, his home and an office for his business. both portions have in common structural and material decisions, however they show a strong formal contrast. in addition, the two volumes meet sustainable conditions: ventilated facades, reuse of rainwater, and FCS certified wood (oriented strand board).

view of the office
photo © federico kulekdjian

the workplace provides certain dynamics in textures and shapes with the heterogeneity of materials underlying the homogeneity of its dark shades of color. the dynamics of the façade are the result of a formal operation which seeks to achieve a functional simplicity at the entrance while generating visuals towards its neighbors, rather lower buildings. the exterior surface includes a palette of zinc and brick, trimmed as if one is the other’s negative.

looking towards the kitchen
photo © federico kulekdjian

on the contrary, the manipulation is uncomplicated and clean, yet powerful as it activates the inside of the family house. it is a concrete space without intermediate supporting elements, achieving free visuals across the entire lot. this structural effort brings about a certain levity to its constituent parts. for instance, elements such the staircase and balcony both appear to be suspended as metal and wooden features protruding from the interior and exterior walls.

(left) interior of the house view from the bottom of the staircase
(right) balcony overlooking the courtyard from the office
photo © federico kulekdjian

the curved and solid surface of the residence facing the inner courtyard, built with dark masonry, opposes the mass amounts of glazing on the other side of the courtyard. ultimately, the design shows a volumetric juxtaposition, which is result of two very different uses. in spite of that, the project reaches a balanced dialogue between tones and materials that sews the programs together throughout the site.

back façade of the office
photo © federico kulekdjian

front façade of the house
photo © federico kulekdjian

floor plans

cross sections

longitudinal sectios and façade

exploded axonometric diagram

construction details

project info:

location: buenos aires city, argentina
project documentation: estudio HMA
construction: fernando hitzig, leonardo G militello, and luis acosta
client: private
collaborators: florencia schvartzman, belén lepro delelis
structural advisor: carlos gandini
photography: federico kulekdjian
project: family housing and office
total covered surface: 250 m²
total uncovered surface: 100 m²
year: 2012-2013

designboom has received this project from our ‘DIY submissions‘ feature, where we welcome our readers to submit their own work for publication. see more project submissions from our readers here.