Unsettlingly simpleby Eva Konrad | 14.04.2014

Pedroso House

Too much concrete for my taste. And this, although I am a fan of concrete surfaces, especially in the design of dwelling houses. Concrete surfaces have to be used carefully in living spaces. How many surfaces and where exactly, as exposed concrete or, quite extreme, board-marked...? The industrial charm of concrete should be used sensitively and not excessively. Otherwise, for my taste, at least, the result is often too extreme or uncomfortable. 

Concrete and Glass

 Regarding the Casa Pedroso, made by María Victoria Besonías - Luciano Kruk, the architects consciously opted for using only “two building materials” for the entire house. Board-marked concrete and glass. Inside and outside. The surfaces of the concrete are shaped by the boards of the formwork.

This is not entirely bad, to begin with. But something surprised me while I was looking at the pictures. The outer and inner walls of the structure consist of massive, reinforced concrete of normal, statically necessary thickness. Abandoning any thermal insulation still seems to be possible in Argentina, but if it is advisable remains questionable. It actually looks good when the slab underside of overhanging parts has the same texture in the interior as in the exterior. Hence, the ceiling virtually runs through both areas. The glass elements and windows are simply mounted between the floor and the ceiling. 

3 Levels

 The building consists of several cubical volumes, and the interior is divided among three levels. The ground floor is floating about one metre over the ground. It is accessed via a short flight of concrete stairs through a large-scale wooden door. On the ground floor, there is a living room, the kitchen, and a bathroom. A short flight of stairs leads from the entrance area to a room on a level that is higher than the ground floor. Another flight of stairs leads to the bedroom below. These two levels are linked to the ground floor, similar to a split-level. In front of the bedroom in the “basement”, there is generous wooden terrace.

The interior of the 95 m² large house is exclusively dominated by concrete surfaces. The bigger part of the furniture is also made from concrete. The walls and mounting parts show board-marked textures. The flooring is plain screed. 

My Conclusion:

 All in all, the Casa Pedroso has a clear architectural concept, which has been as strictly realized as it had been planned. The focus lay exclusively on minimalism, which, however, prevented comfort.