Architecture, garden, and gravity.

Since ancient times, architects have worked with light to generate effects and emotions both inside and outside buildings. In this regard, the garden has always been a privileged place to explore these relationships, as nature and light are fundamental elements in its design. In contemporary architecture, the relationship between space, light, and gravity has made it possible to explore new forms and materials. In this project, our studio has developed a garden based on all these concepts.

The house is located at the center of the plot, allowing the garden to be organized into two clearly differentiated areas: a front space with a more representative and aesthetic character, and a rear area conceived as a private and domestic realm. The overall composition is conceived as a sequence of horizontal planes that engage in dialogue with the architectural volumes, reinforcing the relationship between architecture and topography.

At the front, a garden with trees and low water-consumption species is proposed, prioritizing reduced maintenance without renouncing a strong visual identity that changes throughout the year. The grove of Liquidambar styraciflua provides verticality, rhythm, and a marked seasonal expression, becoming one of the defining elements of the ensemble. The access lighting enhances the scenographic character of this landscaped façade. The rear area responds to a more intimate and functional use. Here, the design is structured around a series of terraces that resolve the plot’s pronounced original slope—one of the project’s main premises. A terracing system was therefore proposed to stabilize the land through vegetated slopes, where the plantings fulfill both structural and landscape functions. 

In this area, an infinity pool is incorporated, linked to a controlled lawn surface reduced to the essential in order to optimize maintenance and water consumption. The program is completed with an orchard area, vegetable garden, solarium, and a fully equipped quincho with barbecue and outdoor kitchen, consolidating the garden as an active extension of the house. 

ABOUT LIGHT AND MOVEMENT

The relationship between architecture and nature has been the subject of reflection by numerous landscape architects and architects. During the research process prior to design, the home's light entries and their evolution throughout different seasons and times of the day were analyzed. Through the design of our garden, we are capable of controlling the effect of this light on the building and its inhabitants, emphasizing the relationship between the various volumes and the exterior.

The choice of plant species has also been studied from the perspective of movement to break the rigidity of the building and generate dynamism in the garden. The proposal to include flexible plant species (Calamagrostis x acutiflora "Karl Foerster") that sway with the breeze, on a compact green base (Pittosporum tobira 'nana'), creates a sensation of natural and fluid movement that accommodates the building's impact on the environment.

FEELING OF WEIGHTLESSNESS

Faced with the monumentality of the building, which seemed to saturate the space of the plot, we suggested suspending the construction thirty centimeters above the garden ground. This decision, intertwining aesthetic and conceptual elements, transformed a massive structure into one that appears suspended, alleviating the feeling of oppression and fostering a new dialogue between the building and its surroundings. This act of architectural levitation becomes the cornerstone of our design, redefining the user's experience in this space.

The perimeter gravel border surrounding the building also contributes to generating this sensation. The gravel evokes a sense of solidity and stability, which contrasts with the image of the building floating above the garden.