The highest quality prefab builder in Uruguay has just added a small shelter to a client’s property

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Project details:

Location: Punta Balena, Uruguay

From the architect: “The house was commissioned by a friend of the studio, Nacho Mazzini, the proud owner of the ‘yellow house with a round window’ built in 2021. Fascinated by the use of that home and attentive to the evolution of his family dynamics, he wanted to add a new module on the adjacent plot next to his first house iHouse, located in Urugu Balena. The intention was to create an intimate and reflective pavilion – a space for contemplation – while avoiding the challenges of building a traditional house directly next to his current home.

“With this assumption, the project aimed to design an apartment that could serve as a refuge, one that maintains a strong connection with the environment. The goal was to break down the boundaries between interior and exterior, creating a permeability that enhances the experience of inhabiting the landscape, while at the same time integrating all the basic services needed for comfortable living.

“The design is based on one rectangular volume of pure geometry, within which two internal bodies define three clearly differentiated zones along their longitudinal axis. Facing the street, the service spaces for storage and hygiene are arranged behind an almost completely opaque facade, providing privacy and shelter for the entrance. In the center, an external side space opens with the effect of a social stay. achieved by a sliding system panels that run along the outside of the walls, allowing the opening to completely clear. At the back of the site is a resting area, conceived as a space for contemplation: a double bed placed between two solid side walls, facing a large fixed glass panel that runs from floor to ceiling and from wall to wall, creating the feeling of sleeping among the trees.

“The entire construction process was carried out in the factory, minimizing noise and waste, and optimizing the efficiency of the system. The on-site installation also minimized the disturbance of the terrain. In this way, the house does not encroach on the landscape, but rests gently on it.”