A few years after VivoTripodi completed a prefabricated weekend home for a family in rural Uruguay, the clients called on the Montevideo-based architects once more to create two new residences for visiting friends and family. Like the main house, the minimalist dwellings keep the focus on the landscape.

The architects drew design inspiration from the main home’s boxy form and all-timber palette to create two modular additions strategically placed to maintain sight lines and minimize landscape impact. As with the main house, prefabricated construction provided numerous advantages given the remote location and the desire to minimize waste.

“The main design goal was to create complete immersion in nature,” explain architects Bernardo Vivo and Guzmán Trípodi of VivoTripodi. “The interior feels as if you were outside. To wake up in the freezing winter and see the sun come out of the horizon, the fog dissipating in the cold grass, but to do it all in great comfort inside the shelter while drinking a hot coffee…it’s definitely a unique experience.”

Each guest house spans 518 square feet and comprises three main spaces with an open-plan layout: a combined living/dining/kitchen area, a bathroom to the side, and two bedrooms on either end of the building.

“The ground had some variation, and we wanted that to remain,” note the architects of their site-sensitive approach. “We didn’t touch the ground’s natural curve, to emphasize the fact that we like to respect the natural state of things.”

The interiors are lined with pine planks, each of which is 13 centimeters wide—a measurement that determined the interior dimensions. “We had to give specific details so that when the carpenters started working on the interiors, the wood would barely have any modifications to its sizing,” explain the architects. “Our precision determined the exact amount of wood needed to minimize waste and unused cuts.”

“To create a project with nature as its main factor is amazing,” say Vivo and Trípodi. The architects developed their site-specific designs over multiple visits to the site to study how the landscape changed throughout the seasons and time of day. “We hope to get more chances to show our outdoor fanaticism.”

Related Reading:

A New Prefab Hotel in Uruguay Seems to Melt Into the Landscape

A Remote Prefab in Uruguay Is Completely Self-Sufficient

Project Credits:

Architect of Record: VivoTripodi / @vivotripodi

Builder/ General Contractor: Ihouse

Structural Engineer: Daniel Chamlian

Landscape Design Company: Clemencia Zorrilla

Interior Design: Estudio CL