Articles by Daniel Tapia

This house was born with the aim of being a place to be outdoors. The fundamental characteristic of the neighborhood was its flood condition, being part of the Paraná river delta, this meant the need to raise it. With these conditions and being a land bounded in dimensions, the challenge was to have the largest amount of space on the ground floor for social areas. The existence of a waterway in the background generated the premise of guiding the main visuals in that regard.

The gently sloping plot is located near the sea and bordered to the north by the street. The surrounding buildings represent the architecture of single-family houses of different eras. The challenge was to solve two detached houses in place of one demolished house so that the buildings would naturally sit on the plot, providing both houses with privacy and the best views. At the same time, comfortable outdoor areas should be created. Old stone fences, rocks, and pines gave the site a temporal perspective. The commissioners gave free rein to the architecture but wished for a beautiful and durable whole.

The house in Mishref is home to two brothers and their families with their varying lifestyles and needs for privacy and open spaces. An introverted composition of two separate living units grouped around an internal courtyard, the house is an interpretation of the traditional courtyard house. Presenting a clean and serene façade to the street, the resulting massing manifests as a white monolithic volume poised elegantly on top of a stone cladded podium. The rhythmic arrangement of louvered windows across the façade softens the volume by lending it a sense of lightness.

Provided with a basic habitable program with the liberty and advantages of a chromatic monotony, making up both an atmosphere and a language that commonly applies to large scales. For this project, the strategy focuses on the spatiality and prominence of a small central garden, appreciated from any area of the house.