Casa Alba II
CASA ALBA II
Además Arquitectura
ARCHITECTS
Además Arquitectura
LEAD ARCHITECTS
Leandro Gallo, Florencia Speroni
DESIGN TEAM
Amparo Feito, Carla Porta, Agostina Conesa, Delfina Galeano, Gabriel Z, Lara Falcón
PHOTOGRAPHS
Federico Cairioli
AREA
289 m²
YEAR
2024
LOCATION
Canning, Argentina
CATEGORY
Houses
English description provided by the architects.
"Los muros están ahí para otorgar privacidad, para ocultar a quien habita, para permitir desarrollar dentro de la casa la vida profundamente libre, al margen de toda moral o tradición, al margen de toda vigilancia social o policial –al margen, en definitiva, de esa insoportable visibilidad que la moral calvinista imponía a sus compañeros modernos y su arquitectura positivista."Iñaki Abalos, "La buena vida", "La casa Zaratustra"
Casa Alba II explores the wall as an architectural device that constructs privacy while defining the relationship between domestic life and the city.
Drawing on a long-standing interest in the work of Luis Barragán, the house adopts an inward-looking approach, turning away from its surroundings to create a controlled and introspective interior environment.
A continuous wall defines and encloses the house, establishing both privacy and a restrained presence within its context.
Slightly lifted from the ground, it reads as a floating, precise volume—at once abrupt and ethereal. Its curved geometry follows the edge of a corner plot, and as the southern boundary, it allows indirect natural light to enter the interior by reflection.
The house opens towards the inner block courtyard and optimal solar orientation. The entire program is arranged on a single level, organized along a central axis that separates public and private areas.
Living, dining, and kitchen spaces are conceived as a continuous environment. To the north, a gallery mediates between the interior and the landscape, providing shade during the summer months. To the south, the wall gives way to a contemplative patio that also enables cross ventilation.
Built almost entirely in exposed concrete, the house embraces material and technical simplicity. A system of beams structures the space, establishing a clear north–south rhythm that organizes the plan, while the enclosing wall unifies it.
Dark flooring and furniture accentuate the presence of concrete, highlighting the interplay between material, light, and landscape.
