Estudio Borrachia builds a wooden house in rural Argentina

Casa de Madera is an experimental wooden home located near Buenos Aires and designed by Argentinian practice Estudio Borrachia (Image credit: Fernando Schapochnik)

Estudio Borrachia has constructed a wooden weekend home for a young family in the countryside just outside of Buenos Aires. Built on a grassy plot among trees and foliage, Casa de Madera breathes nature – indoor space is extended into outdoor terraces and wild plants will grow from its roof.

Selecting the material because of its easy indigenous availability and ease of transportation and construction, the architects used the building as a test – to create a well-designed, pre-fabricated and low-cost home that could be realised quickly. The result is a generous two-bedroom build with plenty of living space, completed in under five months without altering the surrounding eco-system.

The design was defined by the properties of the main material &ndash; wood &ndash; which was used for the structure

Take an interactive tour of Casa de Madera

The design was defined by the properties of the main material – wood – which was used for the structure, cladding, division and deck. Consequently, a single-storey modular plan of connecting rooms and covered terraces was born, combining spatial efficiency with outdoor living.

Nature is part of the design itself. Cross ventilation and shady areas surrounding the house make for passive temperature regulation and with time wild fauna will grow from a bed of soil submerged within the corregations of the roof.

Casa de Madera is part of an architectural series by the Buenos Aires-based practice, titled ‘Housing Habitat’, which explores the relationship between homes and their environments. As well as commissions, the studio, led by Oscar and Alejandro Borrachia, is involved with academic research around the study of society, often collaborating with local organisations to advance their work.

Outdoor terraces are built into the design, offering the potential for further rooms to be built as the family grows

The interiors offer unparalleled access to the surrounding landscape

The design was defined by the properties of the main material &ndash; wood &ndash; which was used for the structure, cladding, division and deck — The design was defined by the properties of the main material – wood – which was used for the structure, cladding, division and deck

A living roof will eventually cover the home with wild flora

The architects used the building as a test &ndash; to create a well-designed, pre-fabricated, low cost home t — The architects used the building as a test – to create a well-designed, pre-fabricated, low cost home that could be realised quickly

Interiors are simple and windows offer views out onto the surrounding greenery

Casa de Madera is part of an architectural series by the Buenos Aires-based practice, titled &lsquo;Housing Habitat&rsquo; — Casa de Madera is part of an architectural series by the Buenos Aires-based practice, titled ‘Housing Habitat’, which explores the relationship between homes and their environments

INFORMATION
For more information, visit the Estudio Borrachia website

Photography: Fernando Schapochnik

TOPICS

Harriet Thorpe is a writer, journalist and editor covering architecture, design and culture, with particular interest in sustainability, 20th-century architecture and community. After studying History of Art at the School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS) and Journalism at City University in London, she developed her interest in architecture working at Wallpaper* magazine and today contributes to Wallpaper*, The World of Interiors and Icon magazine, amongst other titles. She is author of The Sustainable City (2022, Hoxton Mini Press), a book about sustainable architecture in London, and the Modern Cambridge Map (2023, Blue Crow Media), a map of 20th-century architecture in Cambridge, the city where she grew up.