Project Credits & Specs
- Architects: Bauen
- Photographs: Darío Mereles, Daniel Ojeda
- Location: San Bernardino, Paraguay
- Area: 467 m2
- Year: 2022
Project Description
There, if the mud is soft,
sings its sincere joy.
I would like to be an ovenbird
and make my hut sing.
.
As its house is the center
of all love and skill,
he takes it out of his head
and puts his heart inside.
.
He works it in straw and mud,
he works it beautifully,
that in mud and straw
is a bizarre architect.
“El Hornero” — Leopoldo Lugones
Background and Context
“For the hornero (ovenbird), to build is to protect,” said a renowned ornithologist when consulted about the lifestyle of this constructive bird. In the same eagerness, families build their houses, with the objective of creating a home where life develops. A space to grow and receive family members.
Descriptive Sheet
With the two volumes that emerge from the natural terrain, it is clearly exemplified that volumetric solidity is not synonymous with heaviness. With materiality, such as aluminum and glass, a light atmosphere is created on the façade and the phenomenological sensation inside them. A couple of rational volumes, which house a predominantly residential program, and together with horizontal elements create a dynamic yet harmonious formal language.
The mastery in the use of rammed earth allows us to see the project and the landscape as a whole since thanks to the materiality and its natural texture it will enable a relationship in which the architecture is totally adapted to the site and does not transmit an invasive sensation to the natural context where “Los Horneros” is implanted. It is worth mentioning the southwest orientation in which the project is located, which makes it possible to consider the project as an ecological and sustainable architectural design. From its conception, this orientation seeks to reduce cooling and artificial light during most of the day, ideal for a summer city like San Bernardino.
In its interior environments, as a result of the combination of alternative materialities, such as the wall and its aforementioned orientation, a pleasant internal microclimate and comfort for the users is possible. It is also important to mention the spatiality and housing functionality of “Los Horneros”, allowing fluidity and dynamism in their routes between houses and their natural surroundings and offering a perception of a more intimate and familiar shelter.
The project description is provided by the architects.
About the Architects
Bauen understands architecture as a human process of infinite improvement that is verified through trials. They take each project as an opportunity to experiment and test new spaces, ideas, and technologies. They deeply believe in the capacity of human beings to ‘Improve’ themselves and improve their environment, in a process where creation and the creator blend and mold each other.
