Prim Estudio raises Los Tigres house above flood-prone Argentinian plain

Prim Estudio has completed Los Tigres, a 187-square-metre white house set on a rough-hewn stone foundation above a field outside Buenos Aires that floods multiple times per year.

The house sits on an expansive property in Villa Rosa, on the banks of the Luján River. Elevation on the stone base lifts the low-slung volume clear of the seasonal floodwater. Just beyond a stand of trees, the property holds stables, barns and storage sheds that serve its agricultural activities.

The local studio oriented the rectangular plan on an east-west axis and extended the southern wall to break the wind that carries across the plains. To fit with the vernacular architecture of the existing farm buildings, Prim Estudio drew on a contemporary version of an agrarian form, responding to the client's request for a relaxed, landscape-focused space.

"This was the most important premise for the studio: to create a space for contemplating the surroundings," the studio told Dezeen. "It was one of the main design guidelines for the house and each of its spaces, ensuring that it would be consistent with the expansive landscape of the plain while remaining a structure of modest dimensions."

A load-bearing masonry system of aerated concrete blocks forms the perimeter walls, interrupted by windows framed in red-toned wood. High-density polyurethane insulation panels and a corrugated zinc roof top the volume, with a balcony inset into the asymmetrical roofline.

The western end of the house holds a large open-air covered patio that doubles as a garage and gallery-like barbecue space. It opens into the main living, kitchen and dining room, where a wood-burning fireplace and a curved wooden bench complement the principal window.

"Undoubtedly, the house's contemplative spirit is expressed through the large, segmental-arch window that dominates and balances the composition, highlighting the simple geography of the surroundings as viewed from within," the studio said.

"To achieve a cohesive composition, other spaces were designed that also function as vantage points: the loft on the upper floor and a small bedroom look out through porthole windows, while maintaining a shared architectural form."

Three bedrooms and two bathrooms occupy the eastern side of the house, separated from the public spaces by a second, inset covered patio and a sculptural staircase.

"To achieve a sense of vertical space, a staircase leads to the loft and the north-facing terrace, which serves as a vanishing point toward the outdoors, offering a sweeping view of the sky and the horizon," the studio said.

Inside, locally sourced wood with a simple, unpretentious aesthetic pairs with red ceramic floors and pops of green in the kitchen cabinetry and exterior shutters. White painted houses recur across the Argentinian landscape, reflecting the climate's strong sunlight.

"The project is based on a stereotomic concept for the building's design – a heavy, massive, stony architecture that sits on the ground as if emerging from it," the studio said. "Within this massiveness, openings are created to let in light. Through this precise act – using a lowered arch – the design frames an expansive, uninterrupted horizon that, if not framed as a 'landscape,' might feel oppressive or monotonous."

"Ultimately, the house succeeds in providing a sensitive and secure framework for an extreme and hostile environment," the studio added.

Julián Puyal led project design and construction management, with furniture and lighting by architects Agustina Rodrigañez Riccieri and Clara Encabo. Flaminio Ortega served as main contractor, Richie Fillipello handled carpentry, and Ing. Martin Invernisi acted as structural engineer. Ing Bruno Piazza carried out land surveying and Ing Javier Amor served as electrical consultant. Renderings came from Ignacio Fabi, and Javier Agustin Rojas photographed the completed house.

Los Tigres joins a run of recent Argentinian residential projects, including Estudio Futuro's compact home with terracotta patios, a stilted modular house by SET Arquitectura and DUB Arquitectura's guesthouse insulated with discarded sheep wool.