Waterfall House / Andres Remy Arquitectos

Nov 2009

Uploaded by Nico Saieh — Filed under: Houses ,Selected , Andres Remy Arquitectos, Argentina, Concrete

▼

Add this to My Bookmarks:

share by email

share by email

Architects: Andres Remy Arquitectos
Location: Buenos Aires, Argentina
Project Team: Andres Remy, Flavia Bellani, Marcos Pozzo, Paula Mancini, Laura Rodriguez Segat, Leandra Rodriguez Llebana
Construction Management: Andres Remy & Laura Rodriguez Segat
Structural Engineering: Carlos Dolhare
Project Area: 340 sqm
Project Year: 2005
Photographs: Alejandro Peral & Juan Raña

The waterfall house was conceived by the request of a young business man in a closed neighborhood. The particularities and requisites of the client, among with the lot’s characteristics, established the path to follow in the design process.

The borders of the small lot we are referring to, seem to disappear in the predominant visuals: the lake.

The surrounding houses, the sun’s path and the visual were needed to understand the emplacement.

axo 01

At the back of the lot, at the ground level the lake has a shy presence. So it was considered to raise up to get a better look at the lake. This is the reason why it was decided to place the social area in the upper level, conquering the panoramic views to the lake during the day.
It is there where the water shows up. Unexpected at that height, it embraces the architecture and paints it with reflections, bringing life and movement.

Appearing and disappearing to the eyes of the user, relaxing with it’s sound, dazzling with reflects, going through a path that stimulates the senses.

The shallow pool expands the house limits, making them infinite. It erases the line between natural and artificial, inside and outside.

The elevated water falls, as a waterfall, over the swimming pool in the lower floor, refreshing the rooms and providing privacy at the same time. The water fall also filters the northern light making it less harmful.

The waterfall is the icon of this house; this is why it was named after it.

About the functionality of the house, we designed flexible spaces, so it could be adapted as much as to the social active life of our client, as to the needs of a future family. The flexibility allows isolating the private areas in the lower floor from the public areas in the first floor and part of the lower floor.

As a way to connect the street life with the inside of the house, was designed a mixed use room, used as a garage, playroom or to host parties.

section 03

The vertical circulation in triple height baths the inside with cenital light, joining the different levels.
The volumetric game outside and inside vanishes at the back, opening the spaces to the lake.
The balance between full and empty tries to avoid the adverse effects big windows may cause to thermal isolation.
In contrast, the front presents a closed design holding the service areas and giving privacy to the house.

: ground floor plan

: upper plan

: elevation 01

: elevation 02

: elevation 03

: section 01

: section 02

: section 03

: axo 01

: axo 02

: climate diagram

: sun diagram

Cite:
Saieh , Nico . "Waterfall House / Andres Remy Arquitectos" 28 Nov 2009. ArchDaily. Accessed 08 Feb 2012. <http://www.archdaily.com/41859>

Comments (20)
Tweets (12)
Links to this entry (5)

leogar says:

The skylight over the bed must be awesome at night and the sunset view through the waterfall is beautiful. Nice house

# November 28, 2009 at 18:33

kagayakitecture says:

It’s unbelievably awesome… The use of waterfall as the theme works this house out as the perfect oasis.. I can already imagine how the waterfall always gives that background sound so soothing…

# November 28, 2009 at 22:33

gorgos says:

The water as a border without another physical barrier on an elevated level reminds of John Lautner´s house in Acapulco. Great.

Is this house in a gated community?

# November 29, 2009 at 01:39

Dustin says:

Maintaining all the pools of water would be a drag.

# November 29, 2009 at 02:40

Except if you dont have to do it yourself, which the owner probably doesnt have to :)

Personally I dont care too much for the waterfall. I think the noise would start to get on my nerves after a while…

# November 29, 2009 at 12:17

xxxtos says:

A couple of more pictures of the waterfall would be nice.

# November 29, 2009 at 09:37

da says:

ha – good one….

# November 29, 2009 at 11:08

chris says:

yet another house gone wrong….
it`s a complete mess, top heavy no sense of proportions!!! a building is more than the sum of its features (it’s like a loud noise – no melody no rhythm!
probably drafted in 10 min!!!

better luck and a alot more effort next time…

# November 29, 2009 at 11:34

-J says:

I can see what you mean by “no sense of proportions”. I believe our craft is somehow degraded when we create spaces forced by a modulus or a recipe. (i.e. “a good living room should measure x by y”)

Don’t get me wrong, I know we need to take the industry/market standards into consideration; since that is the way we build. But don’t you get a feeling we are falling into the same clichés and justifying the phrase “we are creating a space…” with a desire to fit trends and appear in publications?

By the way, you’re right. It is easy to see the lack of relation among the different volumes, since they are so massive.

I don’t think this is a bad project at all; Mediocre? …Maybe.
Nice pictures do not make good architecture people.

Please excuse my english, it is just as mediocre as this project.

# December 2, 2009 at 12:52

Alia says:

i dont see it a mess !! and its nothing to do with wrong proportions. But some architects express cozyness in this way.

i loved the house in general, specially the waterfall. it is a unique and wonderful house.

# November 29, 2009 at 12:24

Romrrom says:

architects, where is the architecture?? wake up! more ideas, more reflexions, more deepness please…

# November 29, 2009 at 14:55

HW says:

I guess I’m lost. This appears to be a well-designed house
just brimming with ideas and good architecture. Sure, you
personally may not like it, but your comments seem
somewhat juvenile without recognizing that there is indeed
depth and architecture here…

# November 29, 2009 at 15:31

Wargo says:

A house for a waterfall…

# November 29, 2009 at 16:37

gn says:

the perfect example for “adding architecture”

# November 29, 2009 at 18:44

Tommy says:

Everybody mentions the waterfall, that means there is “no” house.
Very basic design techniques and cheap furniture.
This house seems just for a decoration magazine, country life and people that do not have architectural knowledge.
Why so much focus on the water in the house when there is a lake just in front? Thats too much water…it is a design resource that is played out.

# November 29, 2009 at 23:45

My guess is that the Owner, not you, wanted it, and that the Owner, not you, has paid for it to be in the house. I really like the house, but thats beside the point. I’m sure the owner got what they wanted, and that is the point.

# November 30, 2009 at 13:00

Lucas Gray says:

just another example of incredible excess. It’s a shame really, that people feel they need these things. Go check out Architecture for Humanity and Rural Studio for some real amazing architecture – buildings with a foundation in social and environmental responsibility.

# November 30, 2009 at 17:14

Andrew Geber says:

i love it i love it i love it

# December 1, 2009 at 05:35

Creative Edge says:

There are a couple of nice ideas in this house. The rationale for flipping the public spaces to the top and the private spaces is not strong enough.

# December 1, 2009 at 11:18

There are a couple of nice ideas in this house. The rationale for flipping the public spaces to the top and the private spaces below is not strong enough.