Professional Documents
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Fster
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Lauro Rocha
Architects: Lukas Fster
Location: Valois Rivarola, Asuncin, Paraguay
Project Area: 137.0 m2
Project Year: 2012
Photographs: Lauro Rocha
From the architect. The project for Las Mercedes House was to
intervene in a "sausage" house (Paraguayan housing typology where
all the spaces are interconnected and also linked to a common
intermediate space which is the gallery). This typology allows for
multipurpose spaces, expanding the diversity of uses that can be
given to the construction.
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Lauro Rocha
The state of the house, built in the 1940s, was quite deplorable due
to the moisture from numerous leaks and a roof on the edge
of collapse due to the presence of cupi'i (termites) in the timber.
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Plan
The new roof was placed in the traditional manner of a tile roof,
except it forms half a paraboloid, in a gesture that extends the height
of the house, introduces natural light and creates a mezzanine and
access to a terrace / outdoor garden; without losing the spatiality of
the original house.
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Lauro Rocha
The large space that is generated, which contains the entire housing
program (cook + eat + work + rest + sleep + bath) is divided only by a
rotating wall of recovered pallets of 2.40 x 2.60 m, containing the TV
to optimize the versatility of the space.
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Lauro Rocha
Next to the old house, we built a space that contains the toilets,
laundry room and a study / workshop. This space is constructed with
dimensions set by the pre-existing building but in a contemporary
way. The roof is a concrete slab that acts as terrace / garden, the
exterior walls and floor are made of bricks recovered from demolition,
the glass panes come from discarded uses, and the only structural
pillar was made with reclaimed wood from demolition with a
constructive system that threads discarded wood in compression
with a 16mm rod prestressed by two reinforced concrete cylinders.
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Lauro Rocha
One third of the space within the house, made up of guest rooms, an
office and the main entrance, is located at the lower level adjacent to
the base of an existing one storey rock embankment. The
overhanging mass of the building and its canted wall defines the main
entrance and creates a covered space for unpacking and packing a
familiar cabin ritual associated with those important moments of
arrival and departure.
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Sama Jim Canzian
A vertical strip of glazing at the entry and lower stair landing captures
an extended view of a lone arbutus tree. Family spaces are located
on the upper level. The internal stair rises up alongside a central
concrete wall that extends the pre-existing rock embankment into the
houses internal landscape. This wall rises up to support cantilevering
roof rafters which counter intuitively support the ridge that is centered
over the hall leading to sleeping quarters along the back of the wall.
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Sama Jim Canzian
Sama
Jim Canzian
Whistler Residence / BattersbyHowat
Architects
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The main intention was for each interior space to face the river or the
old amate tree, which is located towards east and has a 30 meter
extended foliage that appears to envelop the house.
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The small pool of stone and its red cedar surrounding pavement
stands as the most intimate space concealed between the house and
one of the perimeter retaining walls.
The careful allocation of program allows for retreat zones for both
adults and children on the uppermost and lower floor levels
respectively. Privacy is also achieved through edited views from
within the home that capture the many distant mountain peaks along
with the immediacy of the rock and flora that embed the house in its
site.
The main floor is a large open room animated by multiple natural light
sources and varied views to the forest and mountains beyond. As on
the first floor, walls extend past corners obscuring the spaces sense
of containment. On the exterior, walls operate in a similar manner by
extending the perceived limits of the interior and cropping views to
control exposure and privacy.
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Standing seam metal roofing and black stained shingles clad the
main form of the structure. In contrast, recessed areas are lined with
clear finished red cedar, douglas fir beams and large planes of
glazing that bring warmth and light into the interior spaces.