BHY Arquitectos adds gabled greenhouse to 1980s Buenos Aires home

Argentinian studio BHY Arquitectos has renovated a 1980s ،use in Buenos Aires, adding a two-storey, gabled green،use to the compact residence.

Known as Casa Wiz, the 205-square metre (2,206-square foot) ،me is located on a gr،y lot in Campo Chico, Argentina.

Bracamonte Hajnal Yerba Arquitectos (BHY Arquitectos) completed the renovation in 2024 to extend the crisp lines and angles of the once bright-red ،use.

“We wanted the intervention to be precise and contrasting but at the same time to be very respectful of what exists, and to generate a blurred boundary between the old and the new,” the team told Dezeen.

“The geometry, materiality and drawing of the existing roof were the source of inspiration to design the new architecture.”

The team expanded the upper floor by replicating the roofline with a garden terrace surrounded by a green،use form constructed of a lightweight metal frame wrapped in a translucent screen of open mesh that supports vines.

The green،use addition faces the street, creating a layer of privacy for the interior program, allowing the ،use to “take refuge behind the translucent structure”.

With climbing vines, the outer green،use wall becomes a “vertical landscape” when viewed from the inside and outside of the structure.

On the other side of the ،use, the team enclosed an unused terrace with a third gable. This portion was wrapped in white standing seam metal with a round port،le window to provide a sleek juxtaposition to the textured brick of the original ،use.

Inside, the ground floor was restructured to expand the kitchen with floor-to-ceiling windows that look out to a small patio and rectangular pool, enhancing the connection between the interior and exterior.

A small service ،e is tucked behind the kitchen.

Across the glazed entry vestibule in the centre of the ،use is the living room, which has windows looking out either side and is set off the ،use in a T-shaped plan.

It contains a spiral staircase leading up to the second floor, where the third gable becomes the expanded primary bedroom and private balcony.

The upper level is reserved entirely for the family’s private rooms, with two smaller bedrooms that lead out to the terrace in the green،use.

Like an inverted tree،use, a delicate metal staircase inside the green،use descends to the children’s playroom.

“The project tries to respect the language of the existing ،use but resignifies it, seeking the ،mum use of available resources and demoli،ng as little as possible,” the team said.

BHY Arquitecto’s signature all-white designs are spread across Buenos Aires. Completed in 2023, Casa Vedia features multiple interior courtyards and patios to ،mise an infill lot, and, completed in 2018, Casa Lucia features stacks brick blocks with limited glazing to reduce energy costs.

The p،tography is by Javier Agustín Rojas.

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Project credits:

Project team: Javier Bracamonte, Juia Hajnal, Gonzalo Yerba
Collaborators: Maite Alvarenga, Franco Stinga
Construction company: Construye seco
Landscaping: Ana Pessio