How do you split a house in two? How is it possible to split a property into multiple units without losing its integrity? It was by answering these questions that Florencia Rissotti redesigned a large multi-family vivienda in Vicente López, in the province of Buenos Aires. Without making any changes to the overall space of the original design, the architect with a studio in the Argentine capital has carved out two separate private residences, Casa Terraza and Casa Jardín — one of which is for rent.
The first, as its name suggests, is organized across two levels at the front of the plot, with the private spaces on the ground floor and the living area and kitchen on the second floor, connected to the terrace. The second home, on the other hand, is spatially linked to the rear garden, with an independent workroom at the back replacing the old barbecue area. In this case, the second level welcomes bedrooms and bathrooms. The master suite, in particular, gives on to a roof garden, while the children’s rooms have their own loft. “The premise,” explain the designers, “was to make both units have the best relationship with the outside possible.”
A home with a dual spirit, Two Houses welcomes two families under one large roof, bringing the domestic life of both closer to the fate of the nature that has grown around it. Because while the chromatic needs are met — more rigidly — by a well-defined palette of white plaster, honey-hued wood and vanilla-colored tiles, the exuberance of the native plants in the garden seem to follow no pre-established rhythm. These fill “the days in the house with wild flowers and butterflies,” softening their coexistence and accompanying the time of its inhabitants.
