PUERTO ESCONDIDO
Puerto Escondido is located just outside the city of General Roca in the Alto Valle (Upper Valley) region in the Río Negro province. The 4.000 m2 plot is situated in an area known for its fruit and agricultural activity on the banks of the Negro river.
The LANDSCAPE is dominated both North and South by the presence of hillsides, the distinctive expression of the Patagonian plateau, and by the organic curves of the river itself, covered along its entire length by slender poplar trees, which turn from bright green in the summer to warm gold in the autumn.
An arid climate with low rainfall, below-zero temperatures in winter and very high ones in the summer, along with the prevailing westerly wind round up the particular characteristics of the site.
The CLIENT's request comes from a family business which raised the need for at least three units of temporary rent, mainly for summer use, due to its unique position facing the river.
The units are implanted as isolated modules in a North-South direction (in this case the desired orientation, facing North, does not coincide with the best views of lot), and they avoid forming large volumes that interfere the landscape perspectives. Furthermore, the position of these is interleaved, allowing them to take advantage of the river's view, while providing each one with more sense of privacy and its own space.
The PROGRAM for each unit: one bedroom, one bathroom, a kitchen with minimum dimensions, and a living / dining area that could also function as an alternative bedroom to accommodate at least two more people.
Taking this into account, the main bedroom is located at the North end of the plant, separated from common areas through the core services, and the living / dining room is in both visual and spatial direct relationship to the outside expansion; facing the river.
The different spaces are joined longitudinally by a continuous circulation, accompanied by an end to end support that serves as storage space, closet in the bedroom, a desk in the room and bench in the gallery.
The gallery is conceived as an extension of the inside space of each unit, and it is protected from the westerly wind by the facade wall (which acts as the backrest of the bench) and shaded from the sun by a pergola, built from wooden struts formerly employed in the fruit plantations from the farm itself. The irregular pattern formed by said struts allows the sunlight to pass through, creating shadows and changing textures throughout the day in both flooring and white walls.
The mentioned problem of the opposition between the best views of the lot and the desired sunlight is solved through the different heights of the unit. The gap between a lower horizontal plane (which contains access, services and the bedroom) and the sloping roof over the living / dining area generates a window frame facing North that covers the entire width of the plant. Its dimensions and angle of inclination were studied in a way that offers protection from the sun in summer and allow s the sunlight to pass through all spaces up to the gallery in the winter.
