TORNO AL ÁRBOL

Ramiro Sosa

• Architects

An unusual program described by Pablo, a rich enumeration of atmospheres and sensations to inhabit, a plot of land yet to be chosen from a list of possibilities. This is how the commission for this house began. Pablo envisioned diverse exteriors, reflecting the changing seasons and his domestic landscapes; exteriors that could be viewed from the various spaces within the house. Living here was to be a spatial, sensory experience of discovery. An experience to surrender to the delight of the sun, the air, the sound of water, the birds, the rustling leaves, the fragrance of flowers. In this sense, there was only one plot of land in the city on that list that met these requirements, and it was located in a garden suburb.

On the site still stood a somewhat dilapidated house, its previous inhabitants having moved out, but what truly caught our attention was a cluster of young, mature trees that spoke of what had once been a vibrantly lived-in courtyard. These beings conveyed an intrinsic spatiality; they were trees, and all that emanated from them. The feeling was immediate: this was the place. Our task became, primarily and above all, to capture these existing atmospheres, to make them evident. In particular, one tree, positioned centrally and slightly to the side of the plot, cast a shadow that was both defined and somewhat permeable, perforated. The house would be structured around the umbrella-shaped, fragrant canopy of this acacia (Acacia caven), a symbol of early spring. This approach evoked the idea of the tree as a sacred element, and when placed in relation to architecture, it would transcend its generic nature to become singular.

The house unfolds, facets, and articulates itself around the tree, organizing a social area, a twostory service area that allows for both wandering and observation from above, and finally, a section that houses the private rooms. The site's placement respects and enhances the existing trees, creating a sense of contiguity and continuity with the exterior, a nearby landscape contained by the various patios, interstices of domestic landscapes. In turn, the site's location between two streets of different urban importance is reflected in the configuration of the patios that connect them to the house. One opens onto a linear public park and serves as the main entrance, a promenade leading into the interior. The other opens onto a neighborhood street, establishing direct contact with the house's social area. A triangular reflecting pool finds its position between the canopies of a carob tree (Neltuma alba) and a ceibo tree (Erythrina crista-galli), as a strategy to increase the depth of the patio while doubling the surrounding vegetation.

The building's material composition draws on traditional regional construction methods: reinforced concrete in structures and exposed slabs, masonry in walls, exposed brick in roof overhangs and flooring, and metal elements in openings and exterior transitions. This limited palette of materials aims to enhance the inherent qualities of the materials without compromising their expression or their long-term durability.

The relationships built in this work around the concept of the tree-house reflect on the coexistence of human activity and nature—in other words, on how to inhabit the landscape. The singularity of the preexisting trees is valued not only for their age or their physical form but also for their capacity to bear witness to a biological and organic order that connects us to nature. The contribution of the temporal and cyclical dimension contrasts with the permanence of architecture. The trees are incorporated into the construction of a nearby landscape, creating a generous spatial continuity that draws the exterior into the everyday scene and the experience of dwelling. A domesticated landscape that returns us to nature in each of the proposed and emerging connections.