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As Nicolás Tovo and Teresa Sarmiento of La Base embraced modular design as part of their architectural practice, they noticed that prospective clients were wary of prefabricated construction. So the duo teamed up with Place, an Argentine prefab builder, to make a proof of concept just outside the Patagonian resort town of Bariloche.

Floor Plan of Casa Flecha by Max-A

The patio is covered and shielded from the winds, making it a favorite spot for morning coffee or afternoon playtime.

“We wanted something cozy with nooks, where you can be aware of what’s going on elsewhere,” says Isabel of the floor-to-ceiling shelving units. “They separate the environment, and cut the light a bit, but you can still see what’s happening in other spaces,” adds Matías.

Casa Flecha is accessed via an open-air “tunnel” that cuts into the center of the home. The tunnel also leads to a small office, which is not accessible via the interior to create a physical division between work and play.

“The arrow opens up to the north so it can receive all the natural light from the sun’s path,” explains Noguera.

A woodburning stove not only heats the home, but also the water that flows into its bathrooms.

Noguera says the design is a modern twist on traditional Patagonian galpones, or wooden sheds, which are found throughout the region.

The unique Onduline roofing system, which is made of cellulose fibers and bitumen, is ideal for waterproofing while also buffering the noise of falling rain. “We like this terra-cotta color,” adds Isabel. “But, at first, it scared us.”

“We created this patchwork, not just on the facade but also in the interiors, because we needed to down the light,” says Noguera. “All these horizontal elements between the columns start working as a shading system, like louvers.”

The pitched garage roof is topped with 14 solar panels, which provide much of the home’s electricity (though the couple sometimes switch on a generator in the darker winter months).

“Our objective was always to have a luminous house,” explains homeowner Isabel Pinto of the choice to have a window cover the entire north-facing wall.

The founders of the design studio Rima set down roots in an arrow-shaped Patagonian dwelling where they harvest their own food and electricity.

Charmed by the life aquatic, a physician tasked GO'C to create a 618-square-foot floating home with three decks, a full kitchen, and storage galore.

Despite its small footprint, the flexible, multi-purpose space includes bike storage and a niche for storing weights.

The Premaydena House by Misho+Associates was designed as a "box within a box," in which two interior structures—an open-plan living space and two en suite bedrooms—sit within an exterior envelope. Inspired by the region’s fiery orange lichen and the indigenous waratah shrub’s bright flowers, the colorful exterior panels are made of heavy-duty galvanized steel to guard from Tasmanian winds, which can reach up to 60 miles per hour.

Whitewashed pine walls and an exposed pine ceiling help soften the space, while artworks and vintage finds give it life. The black and white drawing is by Adam himself, and the couple found the hanging tumbleweed in a fence somewhere between Marfa and El Paso.