Casa A.R. - Beta Competition
Interior space

A.R. House

Project description

With constant regard for the context and the user’s lifestyle, the project is the result of sequential steps taken towards a unitary look where the interior and exterior work together harmoniously. Working with the given volumes, we started the project by finding appropriate solutions for the technical and architectural details while optimising the house for better energy consumption. We redesigned the facades together with the fence facing the street and continued afterwards on the inside by optimising and changing certain partitions to make room for better space use, plumbing and passive house systems like activated surfaces and heat exchanging ventilation. We also proposed a new electrical layout for better output disposition and for light design, and concluded by designing the interior in respect to the building´s shape and story. The town´s old houses with their street facing gables and exposed brick fences revealed the basis upon which our concept was defined: the archetypal shape of the gables and the exposed brick. Firstly, we focused our attention on the textural heritage of the place, by emphasizing the layered way by which the interior space is revealed to the visitor in relation to the degree of intimacy specific to each function with the help of materiality. Complementarily, we took into consideration the social side of the beneficiaries which enjoy having guests around, so we chose to transform the former limit of the brick fence into a guide for them. The plastered gable dematerialises exposing the brick core. The brick will act as a guide, leading the way from the street towards the social spaces of the house. As the brick mixes with the oak wood, a material we assigned to the family, the visitors will be signalled that they are welcomed in a more intimate space of the house. On the other hand, if one no longer sees the brick texture while the wood predominates, it means that they have lost themselves in the private places of the house. Black accents create subtle portals between functions, highlight relevant volumetric segments, articulate changes in plan and materiality and mark places of transformation, such as the fireplace or the music equipment. The white shell, perceived both on the inside and outside, covers the hard brick core with its wooden seeds in light and shadow play.

Author's presentation text

Andi-Alexandru Buftea – 2014, Timisoara Faculty of Architecture and Urbanism, graduate. I made my first steps towards architecture during my study years, by my own and trough different collaborations making contact with various architecture and interior design programs, gradually building my experience and portfolio so I can later develop my own brand named NOI studio. A brand focused on the rigor of project compliance, material knowledge, technical details and working methods of craftsmen - with whom we usually work close - but also focused on a personal relationship with our beneficiaries. Ariana Ţuţuianu – 2018, Timisoara Faculty of Architecture and Urbanism, graduate. Looking for a possibility to work closely with craftsmen and beneficiaries, I started working together with arch. Andi - Alexandru Buftea during the last years of my studies, having the opportunity to gain a more pragmatic experience regarding various small-scale projects and architecture connected fields.