Part Spy Lair, Part Hobbit House, This Argentinian Home Adapts to the Landscape

Houses We Love: Every day we feature a remarkable space submitted by our community of architects, designers, builders, and homeowners. Have one to share? Post it here.

Project Details:

Location: Mar del Plata, Argentina

Architect: TAM Arquitectura

Footprint: 2,949 square feet

Builder and Structural Engineer: Juan Pablo Sammartano Viñuelas

Landscape Design: Nicolas Antoniucci

Photographer: Jonathan Paz

Photographer: Obra Linda / @obralinda_

From the Architect: "A void in the landscape already existed, shaped by the land’s natural undulations and the trees that defined its boundaries. First, we laid a wavy concrete mantle, blending it with the terrain and covering it with vegetation. Most of the program lies beneath this structure. This operation makes the mass disappear, preventing any impact on the existing void or urban space. Then, completing the composition and floating in the void, we placed a reflective box—a form that interacts with and multiplies nature. The placement of these two elements—the green mantle and the reflective box—frames the void, preserving spatial continuity from the street to the green core. They create a habitable space, a spatial promenade with dynamic tensions leading to a central access point atop the mantle.

"An open-plan space was created under the concrete mantle, featuring a central courtyard. It serves as the heart of the house, sheltered from street views. Beyond the courtyard, a fluid wooden volume was strategically positioned beneath the mantle, defining and organizing all functions through its relationship with the edges. It separates public from private areas. Above the mantle, a green terrace protects the lower level, restoring the occupied surface and transforming it into a natural space. The floating box functions as a second home—a minimal guesthouse with a living/dining area, bedroom, bathroom, and small kitchen. From here, one experiences a different perspective, being among the tree canopies.

"Volumes do not exist for their own sake; they define the void. They create an unoccupied space where mass disappears. The void is not absence but the organizing force that gives meaning to the spatial arrangement. These elements carve hollowed-out spaces within nature, actively unoccupied space through the fusion of interdependent volumes."