Dos Patios / RDR Arquitectos

Architects: RDR Arquitectos
Location: Buenos Aires, Argentina
Collaborators: Bárbara Moyano, Florencia Rausch and Susana Barra
Area: 1,150 sqm
Year: 2010
Photographs: Gustavo Sosa Pinilla

From the architect. This four-story apartment building in the residential quarter known as Chacarita occupies a typical lot, 9 meters wide and 50 meters long, on a relatively low-density block characterized by an openness typical of a porous urban fabric in transition – a familiar scenario in the city of Buenos Aires.

The building, oriented roughly north-south, is articulated as two square blocks connected by a shallow central wing containing access corridors, stairways, and an elevator core. This recessed circulation wing stretches between the two blocks to frame an open central courtyard which brings light into the two-story units. Bordered on the western edge by a lush green wall, this patio garden offers residents a place to meet and socialize amid the comings and goings of daily life, while a more secluded second garden with a long reflecting pool occupies the southern end of the parcel.

Concrete beams forming horizontal bands organize the expression of the facades, running beneath windows and across the covered passageways on the facades and balconies of the front and rear elevations, facing the interior patio and overlooking the southern patio garden. Between these beams, the handling of the exterior wall surfaces produces the effect of alternating voids and solids, in which secondary facades and windows with their adjustable shutters bring a lively sense of movement to the whole ensemble. The building’s ground level is dedicated to the entrance and other common spaces, as well as parking for residents.