Casa CAS. "Living the process" because architecture is, above all, a refuge for its inhabitants

Casa CAS, designed by ONA - Oficina Nómada de Arquitectura, is located on a small plot of 170 square meters in the Sexta Sección neighborhood, Capital department, in the province of Mendoza, Argentina. The context is characterized by a low-rise urban area, with a large channel for protection from summer floods along with a linear park with lush vegetation and the presence of the tracks for the new electric metrotram that connects the city in a north-south direction

The design of the dwelling is based on the needs of two adults and a girl who will occupy it. Their desire was to have as large an outdoor space as possible; to meet this request and given the small size of the lot, a two-story solution is chosen where the ground floor is designed as an open, bright, transparent, and versatile space

The unified space of living room, dining area, and kitchen, together with a small loggia, have a direct connection with the north-facing garden. On the upper floor, along with the development of spaces for the more intimate functions, the bedrooms and bathrooms arranged on the north side, there is also a common, flexible, and dynamic space for all the inhabitants of the house towards the south side, overlooking a private terrace that also gets light and ventilation from the north

The material proposal of the work has a unified logic at both levels. The presence of exposed finish reinforced concrete is found in various sectors of the house: as a pantry element in the kitchen, as the monolithic base of the first section of the stairs, and as a blind partition towards the urban front to provide privacy to the upper floor on the south side. Another characteristic element is the brick walls that in some points remain uncovered to show the artisanal manufacture. Glass accompanies the inhabitants as they move through their house and gives rise to various internal views and perspectives. Finally, a system of metal sunbreakers acts as an interactive skin with horizontal stripes, both movable and fixed