Located in the Tamba neighborhood of Punta Colorada, Uruguay, PC Inhouse brings together two independent residences into a single architectural composition. Conceived as a unified project from its inception, the challenge lay in developing two autonomous units without fragmenting the overall reading of the complex, while preserving a domestic scale and seamlessly integrating into the landscape.
The footprint responds directly to both the site conditions and the existing vegetation. Pre-existing trees were incorporated as part of the architecture, guiding design decisions and reinforcing the bond between the home and its surroundings. The horizontality of the complex follows the topography, allowing the architecture to dialogue with the open views towards the hills and the natural environment of Punta Colorada.
Although each home functions completely independently, both are perceived from the exterior as a single architectural piece. This unity is built through a continuous horizontal composition, articulated by a perimeter concrete beam that runs along the facade like a structural ribbon, unifying the different volumes into a single architectural expression.
The spatial sequence unfolds from a contained entrance filtered by a wooden skin, towards an interior completely open to the landscape, where the exposed structure, natural light, and views create a living experience deeply connected to the environment. Large glazed surfaces connect the living, dining, and kitchen areas with the galleries, gardens, and private pools, dissolving the boundary between interior and exterior. This spatial continuity allows natural light, vegetation, and views to become part of the daily living experience.
The spatial organization clearly distinguishes private areas from social spaces. The bedrooms are housed in more solid volumes, featuring a concrete pillar structure and flat roofs clad externally in wood. Meanwhile, the social core expresses itself as a lightweight volume built entirely of wood. The sloped roof of this space subtly emerges above the lateral volumes, identifying the heart of the home without altering the overall scale of the complex. The continuity of the wooden cladding reinforces the compositional unity and establishes a natural dialogue with the surrounding landscape.
The material palette —led by concrete, wood, and glass— was selected for its tectonic honesty, low maintenance, and ability to age gracefully in harmony with the coastal environment. Ultimately, PC Inhouse does not seek to impose itself, but rather to blend into its surroundings; it is an architecture of pure lines that employs material and light to pay tribute to the landscape of Punta Colorada.
Team:
Architect: Arcieri Arquitectura
Photography: Sebastián Aguilar Aloy
Material Used:
1. Facade cladding: Concrete and sliding wooden shutters
2. Roofing: Concrete / Wood
3. Flooring: Travertine marble tile
4. Windows: Aluminum windows, KFP.
