Little House in La Horqueta
Written by Jennifer Heyns
With little room to spare, Argentinean architectural firm Arquitectonika designed this cool compact home with unique features nestled within a small gated community.
The fact that the house is small, though, does not diminish the impact that the architects have made on the creative flourish of the spaces both inside and out. For example, in order to use less space for stairwells, the floor plan omitted the use of landings. Instead, the Casa en la Horqueta has a very eye-catching staircase that appears to be floating from floor to ceiling, though from the upper floor all that’s visible is a gaping hole in the floor.
The stair treads themselves are molded concrete with no visible supports underneath. In place of traditional hand railings there are metal rope supports anchored into each run and extending to the ceiling. This serves as extra reinforcement for the stairway, as well as a hand-hold for those traversing them.
To further create the illusion of space in such tight quarters, the house was designed with rooms that are few in number yet vast in space. By dividing the house into fewer chambers, the areas look larger, giving the entire house a much grander feel. The rooms are flexible in design and have the ability to multitask to the owner’s content.
Although the walls are mainly white in keeping with the illusion of larger spaces, the designers warmed the house’s interior by adding wooden plank floor, which is mirrored in the doors, and additional wood panels. It’s just enough to give the rooms a bit of tender character without destroying the illuminating effect that the white creates.
With so much surrounding the home, privacy was a bit of an issue. Surprisingly the answer came in the form of large expanses of glass. Many windows surround the home but are strategically placed, and have been treated so that from the street, privacy is still maintained. Additionally, the majority of the windows face the rear of the home, where views of the garden and lush greenery can help the owners forget their very close neighbors for a while.
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