The land is located in an area of maritime forest near the first stretch of oceanic beach in Uruguay. This presented a diversity of native species living together in a dense and difficult-to-access ecosystem with the presence of several specimens of eucalyptus, coronilla and aruera, among other species that they wanted to preserve to build their own narrative between the future architecture project and its immediate landscape. At the same time, the topography of the land presented a pronounced depression towards the rear and lateral zone, product of the presence of two small ravines that collect the runoff of natural water from the area and channel it towards the sea.
Located on the outskirts of Montevideo Uruguay, this house designed by “Bercetche Estudio” shows great respect for the environment and, through a nice space distribution, takes advantage of it. Two opaque volumes separated from each other generates a permeable “in between” that gives rise to all the common activities of the house (Hall, living-room, dining-room and kitchen) and connect it with the different boundaries of the land where it was built: to the front a main street of medium traffic, to the right a children’s package, to the left a single-family house and to the bottom a glen with a leafy vegetation. For these different situations the house responds with a particular set of volumes that generates different degrees of privacy. This volumes also contains the garage, laundry and mechanical room. Only the bedrooms has standard windows, with a homogeneous distribution on the facades and aligned each other at the interior, allows a visual communication that crosses all the house.
It is an easy-to-read house, built with sustainable and economical materials, which prove that with well-manipulated basic components, an expressive and energy efficient house can be made.
“Sede CAF Región Sur” is the result of a national architecture competition promoted by the Development Bank of Latin‐American and sponsored by the local government of Montevideo in 2012.
By terms and conditions of the contest, a mix‐used program building was required, in the historic city center of Montevideo ‐ the “Old City”‐ a sector full of history and strong urban symbols, next to the limit with the “New Expanded City”.
The Bank headquarters, a cinema complex for “Cinemateca Uruguaya”, the relocation of the historic “FunFun” bar, 150 public parking lots and public changing rooms, are the main project areas. The conditioning and recovery of the immediate urban environment are key requirements of the entire proposal. The biggest challenge then was to achieve coexistence within a single building and urban space, such diverse functional requirements.
In the location behind the Solís Theater, there was an existing building, the Former Central Market, which was almost abandoned and deteriorated, as well as its nearby public spaces.
Architects: LAPS Arquitectos (Arq. Carlos Luis Labat Nadal, Arq. Ricardo Pierino Porta Turban, Arq. Nicolás Scioscia Salvatore + Arq. Luis, Fernando Romero Fregenal)
Project: Sede CAF Región Sur – Banco de Desarrollo de América Latina
Location: Ciudadela 1229, Montevideo, Uruguay
Photography: Javier Agustín Rojas
Client: CAF – BANCO DE DESARROLLO DE AMERICA LATINA
DWELL IN PRODUCTIVE LANDSCAPES. Made to maximize new landscape experiences, Retreat in Finca Aguy was prefab-born in a factory near Montevideo and transported 200km to its final destination in Pueblo Edén on the edge of an olive field. Perfect combination of industry and landscape: new kinds of landscapes deserve new ways of dwelling.
The client is a young couple with two small children, the order: their first house built, own, made to measure and for life. They wanted a house of “unique space” integrated and flexible on the ground floor. A large kitchen, a living room with double height, a wild space that at times could operate as a desk, be daily or projection of the living room to expand your area in special events. An interior patio and an isolated battery of services. Upstairs the private rooms highlighting the main room above the rest, with en suite bathroom, dressing room and own terrace.
The office functions as an element that connects and structures the compound of warehouses and sheds that are property of Prinzi S.A.
The project was commissioned by a firm engaged in the import and export of products for the meat packing industry, which wanted to relocate its offices to its distribution center set in the traditional “La Comercial” neighborhood of Montevideo, Uruguay. This is how the old industrial area became a logistics hub capable of centralizing the client’s operations.
The project is located in the historical city of colonia del sacramento -declared unesco world heritage- in a privileged location meters from the river, over two grounds unified in a ¨l¨ shape, with way outs to two streets of strong gradients, typical of river ravines.
Sinergia Cowork originally started as a real estate development project, with 32 offices and 4 rental meeting rooms. Just another operation inside a recycled space that in its history worked housed a carpentry, mechanical workshop, movie studio and warehouse. The offices function as a cowork: A recent concept in contemporary office spaces, where the user inserts himself into a heterogeneous collaborative environment that enhances his work and social skills. The project seeks to maintain the aesthetics of the pre-existing building by using completely removable lightweight structures, made through metal beams and Structural Insulated Panels walls, and by using a neutral color palette (white and light gray), where the only color is given by the coworkers, vegetation and furniture. The main entrance of the building is through a garage door, that is highlighted by the logo of the company. The ground floor consists of a central yard that articulates offices with cowork spaces and meeting rooms. Smaller offices are distributed in the upper floor, together with a 3d printing workshop, flexible cowork spaces, living rooms, and a photography studio. The existing basement, built at the beginning of the 20th century, with vaults and walls in brick and stone, becomes the space of relaxation, housing the playroom, dining room, kitchen and a giant screen. On the roof, and going through the original wooden truss, you can access an event room with an outdoor deck that is used on weekends as a place of interaction and relaxation of the coworkers outside their working hours.