If we ponder the phenomenon of knowledge, we can understand that it is not the direct result of sensations but the perception of an active dimension - meaning that consciousness is intentional. When we perceive something, we translate it, not only by our feelings, but by what we have in our memory. Symbols and concepts exist in our society´s unconsciousness. The first drawing one makes of a house may be common to all of us, and for many it represents home.
This Project is located in a sloped site in a suburban area of Bariloche with views towards the Nahuel Huapi Lake and the Andes Mountains. The stories of the area´s first settles say that religious ceremonies took place on the site, due to the height and wonderful clear views found there. The wizard with cosmic visions directed the Smoke Ceremony where green leafs were burnt as an offering to the gods. The ceremony ended at sunset when the wizard stood on a Rock at the edge of the mountain whispering the word “Vizu”, announcing that the universe was at peace. The project´s main inquiries are how to inhabit a slope and how to relate to a natural and suburban setting.
The first intention is to inhabit the entire site generating different situations by creating containing walls that produce spaces on both the inside and outside of themselves. Therefore, spaces with natural vegetation, a lawn garden, wooden decks, a fire place, parking space, entrances and bedrooms, are stacked on each other.
A single black metal sheet volume stands out from the intervention. It is placed perpendicular to the slope, avoiding any type of blockage towards the stepping of the different spaces towards the lake. This volume contrasts with the landscape, expressing its object like and artificial nature with geometry reminiscent of the first drawings one does of a house. This volume defines the common areas (living room, dining room, and kitchen) in a space that faces towards the lake looking to capture all of the landscape without any obstacles, just like being on the edge of a mountain, reminding us of the ancestral ritual that took place on the site.
The house is organized in two different situations that are expressed differently: inside the mountain we can find the intimate and private spaces, and outside the mountain the common areas. These two worlds are connected by a two section staircase, where the first directions looks towards the mountain and the second towards the landscape, allowing to experience in this path the contrast between both situations.
The house tries to make the most of the site not just visually but also energetically. Being in a cold weather where it is extremely cold most of the year, the bedroom´s volume is contained inside the slope making the most of the thermic isolation provided by the soil. The metal sheet volume is black to maintain the sun´s heat and create a warm façade. Behind the metal sheet, 5cm of glass wool and a brick wall complete the thermic package.
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