Estomba Building

BAS + LABA

www.ba-studio.com.ar / @labaarquitectos

Buenos Aires, Argentina

“The project for the building at Estomba 1046 reflects on how compact living can coexist with post–Covid-19 modes of inhabiting. The lot is located in a traditionally low-density neighborhood, characterized by single-family homes, a few low-rise buildings, and, immediately beyond—with no fences—the square that occupies an entire block. The site dimensions are limited: 17.32 meters deep and 8.61 meters wide.

The design logic combines the densification possibilities enabled by the 2021 Urban Code modification with the neighborhood’s qualities, proposing a volume that aligns uniformly with the buildable band of the block, where the residential floors are located. At the rear of the lot, the circulation core fits into a vertical patio, establishing a full–empty dialogue. This configuration frees the floor plan, leaving it open for residential use. Living, cooking, and dining spaces face the public street, while the bedrooms seek privacy and quiet, ventilating toward the rear patio.

At the front, a concrete grid modulates the façade, filters views, and contains the semi-covered spaces developed within the municipal line. From party wall to party wall, linear planters act as a green buffer: on one hand, maintaining privacy toward the public realm, and on the other, responding to the post-pandemic need for semi-outdoor expansion. On the upper floors, mandatory setbacks organize differentiated balconies and terraces—one for communal use, with a barbecue area, deck, green roof, grass, plants, and a shading tree; the other private, belonging to the top-floor unit.

Common services and circulation spaces were designed to prioritize resource economy and ease of maintenance. On the ground floor, two private parking spaces and the minimum services required by regulations are located. On the first floor, the living, kitchen, and laundry spaces of the townhouse-style units open to the front, while their bedroom areas with private gardens are on the ground floor. The remaining unit types follow the same organizational logic: living areas facing the street—the public edge—and bedrooms toward the rear, with greater privacy and reduced noise”.