luciano kruk applies trademark concrete finish in buenos aires residence

located in la esperanza, a gated community of buenos aires, the rodríguez house by luciano kruk arquitectos is built for a young couple, with a pure external image, an uncomplicated inner distribution, and a close contact with nature. the residence sits in a corner lot surrounded by willow trees, and features an austere, exposed concrete finish, a trademark material found in many of the studio’s previous projects.

photos by daniela mac adden

luciano kruk has designed the single-floor house as a pure volume, complete with a reflecting swimming pool and leafy inner patio, which allows views to go all the way to the back of the lot. the path that connects the entrance, the patio and the pool in the backyard, intercepts the one created by the spaces within the house, which helps organize the house around two axes. facing north, the main areas open up –through the gallery- to the exterior space, whereas service areas aligned become part of the façade, while at the same time, the inner patio establishes a border between the private and social areas of the house.

the front, the back and the sides of the exterior have been treated differently, thus creating three separate systems. with the intention to appear to be floating, hanging above the water, the main facade is fit with a system of lapacho wooden planks that hang vertically all along the front, with a sequence of short hanging walls in combination with translucent glass behind it.

unlike the front skin, the back of the house is completely made of transparent glass, blurring the boundaries between the inside and the outside. contrary to the other two systems, the sides of the house don’t deny their connection between the volume of the house and the terrain, as the one facing the side street features a series of vertical wooden planks floating over the glazed pane. on the other hand, the opposite side of the house is not as open: a concrete wall and glazed panes wrap the most intimate parts of the house.

finished with plastered white bricks on its walls, the interior accommodates a master suite and a second bedroom, a bathroom, and a completely integrated social area, while it is developed with the possibility for future enlargement in view of a third bedroom. the structure of the house is organized around a concrete, load-bearing walls system that interacts with inverted T-beams, which reach the height of the loads and hide the system from view.