Architectural studio MAPA has completed Argentina's first Passivhaus-certified residence, a house in the San Fernando Delta that is lifted on stilts to accommodate periodic flooding.
Named House in the Delta, the three-bedroom home on the banks of the Paraná Mini river in the Buenos Aires metropolitan area was raised on a timber structure to protect the interiors from floods.
House in the Delta is set near the shores of the Paraná Mini river
MAPA, a studio with offices in Uruguay and Brazil, described the home as "an amphibious house ? built high above the ground to coexist with the periodic flooding on the banks of the Paraná Mini, an earthy river with a gentle flow".
According to the studio, the main access to the site is via this waterway. "The river functions as a street, square and public space," MAPA explained. "[The] community is building a new concept of urbanity in strict connection with nature." The house is held up by stilts
On the longer side of the house, which faces the water, MAPA included a full-length deck that steps down to the surrounding property.
From this side of the wood-framed building, large glass openings give out onto the covered outdoor space. "A system of ordered balconies controls the sunlight and expands the interior spaces towards the surroundings," said MAPA.
A full-length deck runs along the home's longer side
Each of the home's bedrooms thus has immediate access to the outdoors, as does the kit...