PRIMITIVE HUT.Sitting lightly in extraordinary landscape, this little weekend house sensitively explores the immemorial IMMEMORIAL. That which commences beyond the time of memory. Vide Memory, time of. relationship between humanity and nature. An hour's drive to the west out of C[acute{o}]rdoba brings you into the Sierra de C[acute{o}]rdoba, a lush agrarian landscape of rolling hills Rolling hills are like a mountain chain, only a "hill chain" of hills that roll on and on continually. You will often find them in between plains and mountains, near major rivers, or randomly anywhere. The only places without rolling hills are deserts and flood plains. and valleys. Here on his family's farm in the Calamuchita Valley, Miguel Roca has constructed a small weekend house, a modern primitive Modern primitives are people in developed nations who engage in body modification rituals and practices while making reference or homage to the rite of passage practices in "primitive cultures". hut that extols the immemorial relationship between humanity and nature. Within sight of the main farmstead built by Roca's father, the house lies in a clearing in a densely wooded grove. To the north are breathtaking views over the surrounding valley. Sky and vast landscape collide in an intoxicating in·tox·i·cate v. in·tox·i·cat·ed, in·tox·i·cat·ing, in·tox·i·cates v.tr. 1. To stupefy or excite by the action of a chemical substance such as alcohol. 2. rush of colour and light. Based on a simple rectangular plan, the house is essentially a compact glass box, buttressed and framed by a quartet of smaller stone-clad volumes placed at each corner. Living, dining and sleeping areas merge into a single homogeneous space In mathematics, in particular in the theory of Lie groups, algebraic groups and topological groups, a homogeneous space for a group G is a manifold or topological space X on which G enclosed by full-height glass walls which slide open to connect with the exterior. In turn these are screened by folding panels of red cedar red cedar: see juniper. , so that when the house is not in use, it is simply shut up like a box. The layers of sliding and folding screens are designed to encourage natural ventilation Natural ventilation is the process of supplying and removing air through an indoor space by natural means. There are two types of natural ventilation occurring in buildings: wind driven ventilation and stack ventilation. . At night, cooling breezes filter through insect-proof mesh grilles set in the stone walls. The stone-clad volumes house service quarters -- bathroom, kitchen, storage and so on, freeing up the main space. Walls are of local grey sandstone, built using a method similar to dry stone walling. This gives them great weight and mass, which contrasts with the ethereality of the glass skin. The robust stone volumes act like bookends, framing views over the landscape in an almost Japanese manner. Although modest in scale, the house is wonderfully in tune with its setting. Simple local materials, which will age gracefully and require a minimum of maintenance, are used in a lucid yet expressive way. It was built using local labour and exploits natural methods of environmental control. A refined refuge from the blare and bustle of the city, it sits lightly on the earth, in blissful rapport with its extraordinary surroundings. |
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