fram arquitectos and delfina riverti elevate wooden house among uruguayan forest

given a hilly site on the uruguayan coast, fram arquitectos along with delfina riverti designed a wooden house detached from the ground so as not to interfere with its surrounding landscape. located in la juanita beach, in a forest enclave, the lot where the house is built presents a steep slope with an elevation difference of 2.44m (8 ft) between the front of the lot and the back. to solve for the height difference, the architects projected the house’s zero level above the maximum height of the land, maintaining the natural slope and ensuring ventilation to the lower structural elements.

the argentinian architecture firm paired with the argentine designer in charge of the project, oriented the house towards the north, where the access street is, and towards the south providing views of the ocean. therefore the project spans towards both directions. the volumetric expression of the house reflects the areas in its interiors. the lower volume contains the kitchen, living and dining rooms, and a second, two-floor volume hosts the bedrooms and bathrooms.

the layout of the volumes and spaces within them are designed for users to separate their public life from their private life. the lower level receives family members and holds the residence’s common areas, the more public of the volumes. the upper floor remains exclusive for the owners, granting them privacy when accessing their bedrooms and bathrooms. a connecting bridge links both modules and is used to access the house through the north-facing gallery.

the two volumes are offset in plan to guarantee natural light in the gallery, as well as ocean views from the top-floor bedroom. with the exception of the foundations, the construction was made entirely out of wood, combining the use of harder species for structural and exterior parts, and softer types for the interior partitions and coverings. a set of hardwood verticals arranged every two feet ensures the rigidity of the exterior coating of pine tree dyed in oil. this way, the external language embodies the direct expression of the construction methods and the materials used.