Andina Patagónica #4

Andina Patagónica #4 is the first of a twin-cabin project sited on the outskirts of El Bolsón, Río Negro, in Argentine Patagonia. The 65-square-metre cabin opens toward Cerro Piltriquitrón, framing the panoramic view through a stepped form that follows the slope of the terrain.

The plan stretches to form a sheltered awning at the entrance, while every interior space connects into a single open volume. Construction was partially prefabricated in Bariloche and laid out on a 2-foot by 2-foot (61 cm by 61 cm) module, which kept material waste to a minimum and shortened the build on site.

Full sheets of pine plywood line the interior, reinforcing the modular logic and the warm, cabin-like atmosphere. A substantial north-facing overhang shields the windows from direct sun, and every room is cross-ventilated for passive cooling. Roughly half the footprint sits on a slab on grade, providing thermal mass that helps the cabin stay cool in summer and warm in winter. Polished concrete finishes the slab area; timber covers the rest of the floor. Cellulose insulation supports the project's sustainable ambitions. The northern and southern walls are clad in charred timber finished with the Japanese shou sugi ban technique to weather the surface naturally, while the roof and the east and west elevations are clad in black corrugated metal.

Project size: 65 m². Site size: 2,000 m². Completion: 2019. Building levels: 2.

Designed by Forma Architecture. Principal: Santiago Mussi Tiscornia, with Melisa Busso and Andrew Pringle Sattui. Photography by Francisco Galeazzi.