Architects: Gianserra + Lima - https://www.gianserralima.com/ Manufacturers: GRUPO ANACLETO Suppliers: LOGRASSO Location: City Bell, Buenos Aires Province, Argentina Project Year: 2019 Category: Private Houses Primary Building Material: Concrete Building Area: 230 m2
Located in a private residential neighborhood of City Bell, north of La Plata, this 230 m² contemporary home was designed for a couple and their three daughters, balancing permanence, flexibility, and a strong relationship with nature.
Built in fair-faced concrete, the house carefully coexists with mature pine trees preserved from the original site. These pre-existing trees were not treated as obstacles, but as defining elements that shape the spatial experience and orientation of the home.
The ground floor is conceived with accessibility in mind, accommodating daily life with ease and continuity. It includes the main living areas—living room, dining space, and a covered gallery—as well as a private suite with a walk-in dressing room. A central patio articulates the entrance sequence, guiding movement from the carport portico into the heart of the house, while introducing light, air, and a sense of calm.
The upper floor is designed as a flexible living platform, capable of evolving alongside the family’s needs. Currently conceived as a large, open space, it can be subdivided into up to three bedrooms in the future. A compartmentalized bathroom is positioned at the top of the staircase, allowing independent use without compromising privacy. Views extend both toward the street and toward the quieter rear of the house, reinforcing a balanced domestic atmosphere.
Through its restrained material palette, clear structural logic, and adaptable spatial organization, this house offers a contemporary interpretation of family living—one that is robust, calm, and capable of change over time.
Set within a private neighborhood in City Bell, just north of the city of La Plata,
this contemporary family home is a quiet dialogue between architecture, landscape, and time.
Designed for a married couple and their three daughters, the 230-square-meter house occupies a
deep, tree-filled plot measuring 17 by 34.6 meters, where mature pine species from the original site
continue to define its character. The architecture is expressed in fair-faced concrete,
chosen for its permanence, honesty, and ability to age gracefully alongside the surrounding
vegetation. Rather than imposing itself on the site, the house carefully coexists with
the existing trees, allowing nature to remain a central presence in daily life.
The ground floor is conceived with accessibility and continuity in mind.
Living room, dining area, and gallery unfold as connected spaces, opening toward the garden
and encouraging fluid movement throughout the home. A ground floor suite with a walk-in dressing room
provides comfort and independence, ensuring long-term adaptability for the family.
Arrival is choreographed through a sequence of thresholds. After passing beneath a concrete
portico that shelters the parking area, a patio gently articulates the entrance,
transitioning from exterior to interior with calm restraint. This open-air pause
becomes both a spatial and emotional buffer, an introduction to the home's quiet rhythm.
The upper floor is defined by flexibility. Designed to evolve with the family's changing needs,
the space can exist as a single, generous room or be divided into three bedrooms.
A strategically placed, compartmentalized bathroom sits at the top of the staircase,
efficiently serving multiple configurations. From above, views extend both toward the street
and into the more private, tranquil areas of the house. Throughout the project,
architecture is not treated as a static object, but as a framework for living, capable of adapting,
growing, and responding over time. In City Bell House, material clarity, spatial flexibility,
and respect for the existing landscape come together to create a home that is both robust
and deeply humane.
