Project: White Houses Chapadmalal
Architects: BiK Arquitectura
Location: Argentina
Area: 1,420
Year: 2019
Photographs by: Adrián Ríos
White Houses Chapadmalal by BiK Arquitectura
The White Houses Chapadmalal by BiK Arquitectura are two cabins in Argentina designed for temporary rentals. Situated near the South Atlantic Ocean, the cabins take advantage of natural light and the connection between interior and exterior spaces. The design features contrasting horizontal volumes and a vertical element that acts as a landmark. The cabins are constructed with simplicity and low maintenance in mind, using concrete blocks for structure and insulation for improved thermal performance. Each cabin includes two bedrooms, a bathroom, a living room with an open kitchen, and a patio with a barbecue, creating an efficient layout that maximizes views and sunlight.
These two cabins for temporary rental are placed on flat terrain close to the South Atlantic Ocean in Chapadmalal, Argentina. Their location considers exposure to sunlight as the interior expands into the exterior. Two small-scale horizontal volumes contrast with a vertical one acting as a long-distance landmark for the whole.
Within a compact and well-defined perimeter, white, abstract, and stereotomic volumes contain the cabins’ interior and exterior spaces. Their limits are built with a single material, regulating permeability and adjusting to orientation and uses.
Construction is simple, austere, and low-maintenance. The use of concrete blocks as material connects structure, building envelope, and expression. Interiors are insulated to improve thermal performance. Moreover, two hot water solar collectors are used to save energy.
Each cabin has two bedrooms, one bathroom, a living room with an open kitchen, and a patio with a barbecue. This organization arranges interiors efficiently while controlling their relationship with exteriors. The bedrooms and the bathroom are clustered on the cooler southern perimeter while the living room and the patio play a leading role, opening towards the garden, the sunlight, and the neighboring panoramic views.
-BiK Arquitectura
