BBOA creates a cluster of seven equal yet unique houses in argentina

located in fisherton, a residential borough in the western suburbs of rosario city, argentina, ‘morrison’ by BBOA – balparda brunel oficina de arquitectura, emerges as a cluster of seven equal yet unique brick-clad houses. each volume covers 100 sqm within a 1500 sqm parcel, which means a densification three times higher than the standards. through the years, this area has undergone several transformations tending to densify the urban fabric, yet holding on to its original urban layout.all images courtesy of javier agustín rojas

the project’s origin dates from the late 19th century, while initially designed as a villa for british hierarchical staff, adopting a strong stylistic trend according to english architecture of this era: large brick-exposed freestanding houses, shaped from several volumes and gabled roofs, surrounded by land extensions of prominent gardens and thick groves of trees. part of its original architecture began to be replaced by new buildings, maintaining a few formal, aesthetics, and material resemblances. as nowadays these original unaltered buildings are very rare to be found, BBOA – balparda brunel oficina de arquitectura sought to translate them into a new, up-to-date architecture program respecting both the location and identity of the area.

major challenge was the repetition of the exact same built object because of the diversity and high degree of distinction existing in the constructed environment. considering the intermediate spaces —existing between houses, and between each house and its own limits— as the most valuable condition of the area, the architects aimed to recreate that intermediate space situation, within different uses and proportions: entrance, expansion, parking, and service. therefore, each one of the seven units would become a freestanding house, open to all four cardinal orientations and walkable around its entire perimeter, duplicating the identity of the area.

furthermore, one immovable requirement was that every house had to have the same area and distribution, as well as equal quantity and quality of rooms. the challenge here was to obtain, from the exact same floor plan, seven units that presented singularity, something to make each house distinguishable from the others, by adding slight differences or alterations, and so to avoid the infinite perception of a monotonous scenery.

regarding the articulation of the ensemble, BBOA resorted to a set of pedestrian paths, within and across the masses, combining straight line, curve, and counter curve. each house is set out with a slight rotation and roof inclinations to emphasize their singular condition. on a smaller scale, other variations contribute to this matter, such as different dispositions and size of openings or the inclusion of lighting filters.

as for the interiors, the architects attempted to recreate the function and dynamic of a traditional fisherton house, accomplished by the gathering of service programs within a wood volume. the mass also operates as the joint element that articulates each space and situation, such as the entrance, the stairs, the kitchen, and the common area. on the upper floor, the space is optimized by the inclination of the ceilings, which also brings a certain geometrical homogeneity to the exteriors.

project info:

name: morrison

architects: BBOA – balparda brunel oficina de arquitectura

lead architects: tomas balparda, fernando brunel

design team: gerónimo galli , galatti constanza, valle facundo, testa agostina, mascetti franco, colombo antonela, sobrero florencia, del rio manuel, degiorgio bruno

location: rosario, argentina

area: 700 sqm (7535 sqft)

clients: frater desarrollos

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edited by: christina petridou | designboom