Articles by Pilar Caballero

In architectural discourse, the notion of the “local” is often associated with regionally rooted building knowledge—materials, structures, and craftsmanship shaped by long-term interaction between human practices and the environment. In contemporary China, however, the idea of local construction is frequently reduced to two recognizable paradigms: rural architecture employing traditional materials and techniques, and hybrid practices that juxtapose local materials with industrial systems. Such interpretations overlook a broader and more pervasive reality.

In 2016, we were invited—along with several international studios—to take part in a closed competition for a single-family house in one of Vilnius’s suburban districts, organized by a private client. This is an area characterized by loose, traditional development, with houses and summer cottages nestled among trees and expansive recreational grounds. On the plot included in the competition, as well as in its surroundings, there were once wooden houses from the interwar period, which have not survived to the present day.

Situated in a medium-density suburb, Burnley is a composed urban infill to a row of townhouses that has replaced the formerly dominant terrace houses in the area. Sheltered behind the hit-and-miss brickwork is a tranquil home with robust materiality, unexpected sky views, and access to plenty of greenery.

Satoyama Terrace is a small-scale hospitality project situated within a traditional Japanese satoyama landscape, where natural systems and human activity have historically coexisted in dynamic balance. The project begins with a fundamental question: how can architecture engage with this landscape without reducing it to a static or consumable image? Rather than reproducing a nostalgic rural scenery, the design reinterprets the relationships embedded in satoyama and translates them into a contemporary spatial experience. Water, wind, soil, and vegetation are treated not as background elements, but as active forces shaping perception and occupation.

Garden in the heart of every home as a breath. The TT Houses arise from the idea that even on compact lots, it is possible to create generous, airy, and surprising spaces capable of transforming the living experience.

Ys Housing’s pilot project, Shand Road, refines medium-density infill housing in Melbourne’s middle suburbs. Four two- and three-bedroom townhouses occupy a typical suburban block, testing a repeatable model for the 15-metre frontage lot type common in residential suburbs. The project prioritises design quality, environmental performance, and affordability. As both architect and developer, Ys Housing works across design, cost, and delivery. This integrated model allows housing to be more considered than volume-built products, while remaining more accessible than bespoke architecture.

House in Kirigamine is a contemporary mountain retreat located at an altitude of over 1,600 meters in Nagano, Japan. The site experiences both the refreshing coolness of summer and the severe cold of winter, with temperatures dropping to -20°C. Surrounded by rich natural landscapes, it offers views of the Kirigamine wetland to the north and Mt. Fuji and the Yatsugatake Mountains to the south.

Set amongst the undulating sand dunes and dense moonah trees on the ocean side of the Mornington Peninsula, the Wildcoast House is rooted in its environment. Built on Bunurong Country of the Kulin Nations, the home is composed of three curving walls that provide a private retreat from the coastal environment.

Four squares dictate the spatial layout for this extended family home in Co. Clare. The house is broken into three simple block forms around these squares.