In Uruguay, a Home Near the Coast Keeps Things Open

Located on the shores of the Atlantic Ocean in the Uruguayan coastal town of Garzón, this 1,290-square-foot home by Argentinian firm Mutar turns conventional residential design on its head. "We look at each commission as an opportunity to question common sense about domestic life," says principal architect and Mutar c0founder Natalia Kahanoff, who along with  partners Lucila Ottolenghi and Luciana Casoy set out to create a flexible home for their globe-trotting client.

"He has quite a dynamic life, traveling and living part of the year in another country," explains Kahanoff. "This allowed us to propose spaces that move away from traditional domestic logic." The pavilion-like home comprises a collection of hybrid interior and exterior spaces united by a large sloping roof. A simple logic of wooden frames carries through the home and out to south-facing decks, creating a series of multiuse platforms for an ever-changing array of activities.

"It was important to configure spaces that were not quickly identifiable or nameable," says Kahanoff. At the heart of the home is an open-plan living/dining/kitchen area with a built-in bench that spans the length of the room. "The bench helps frame views of the landscape, and it allows you to sit, lie down, or use it as a table and chairs."

Sleeping takes place in a detached "satellite room"—what serves as a bedroom—that’s accessible via a semi-covered walkway. "This minimal, habitable cell is a place of refuge," says Kahanoff. Between the living area and the sleeping area sits an adaptable work space that can be opened via a series of folding panels to expand the common living area.

Throughout, a restrained material palette of concrete and locally sourced wood helps delineate the home’s public and private functions. "The two construction systems respond to different domestic situations," explains Kahanoff. "The wooden structure integrates the plane of the sloping roof and contains the more flexible activities."

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On the whole, the home offers a malleable framework for life to unfold. "We set out to rethink the idea of a traditional room to make better use of space," says Kahanoff. "Each room has a complementary function, allowing the home to rehearse different types of intimacy and experience."

Related Reading:

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A Connecticut Couple Build an Off-Grid Dream Home in the Prairies of Uruguay

Project Credits:

Architect of Record: Mutar / @mutar.estudio

 Collaborator: Marina Difonzo

General Contractor: Pedro Luro

Structural Engineer: Alfredo Higués