VP 7 URBAN HOUSES
The lot is situated on a particular environment, in a residential neighborhood, between an Embassy and a Club and, because of a lush garden on the front, this project proposes to retreat the façade to take advantage of the landscape, benefiting the urban space.
The project is about a housing complex of seven units on a 20 x 60 meters lot, distributed in two blocks. The higher block is on the front, with 4 units, two on Ground floor with front gardens and two on the floor above with terraces and swimming pools, which constitute the façade’s main topic. The lower block is on the back and contains 3 functional units developed in 3 levels with backyards.
The front block is split in the meddle, modeling the pedestrian and vehicular access in a triple vertical space contained by the cantilever tilt swimming pool slabs that presents the elevator core like a loose volume constituting an sculptural element. This elevator surrounded by concrete stairs leads to the upper units, generating a promenade with views towards the front and back.
The access to the 5 units on Ground floor is through a common yard, limited by a wooden fence guided by a zigzag geometry, which seeks to generate an intimate neighborhood-like character.
The back block is presented as a concrete volume on First floor, supported by longitudinal planes on Ground floor that constitute the partition walls between the units. The Second floor follows the yard’s geometric zigzag to draw back from it.
As for materials used, to the palette being developed by the studio in previous works (concrete-white-green-wood-iron) was added concrete bricks to the exterior walls, as pure planes between the concrete slabs, which refers to the original English brick houses of the neighborhood as well as to the use of brick by the modern Embassy building next door. The aluminum frames and folding shutters complete the lightweight enclosures.
Certain sustainability criteria were taken into account: minimize energy consumption and use of alternative renewable energy. So the use of solar collectors for hot water and pool heating was proposed, as well as maximizing the thermal performance of enclosures with double walls with internal thermal insulation, and exterior openings with double glazing.
