FEN House by VDV ARQ: A Viewpoint Residence Intertwined with Landscape in Argentina

Located in Manuel Alberti, within the metropolitan periphery of Buenos Aires, FEN House by VDV ARQ is conceived as both a residence and a landscape mediator. Set on an exempt, irregular plot surrounded by dense vegetation, the project transforms the domestic program into a spatial viewpoint: one that frames nature, light, and openness as integral architectural elements.

Designed by VDV ARQ, led by architect Victor Della Vecchia, the 650-square-meter residence responds to its semi-urban context through a clear volumetric strategy. Rather than dominating the site, the house establishes a horizontal dialogue with its surroundings, blurring the boundaries between built form and landscape.

Architectural Concept and Spatial Organization

The house is structured through two superimposed and perpendicular planes, generating a dynamic spatial composition that organizes public and private functions with clarity. The lower volume accommodates the social areas, including the living spaces and swimming pool, while the upper volume contains the bedrooms and more intimate domestic programs.

At the heart of the ground floor, a centrally positioned living room benefits from cross ventilation and full visual openness on both sides. This space maintains a direct and continuous relationship with the surrounding garden, extending outward through a generous covered gallery that enhances indoor, outdoor living. The pool, aligned with this lower plane, operates as a reflective water mirror, visually pulling the landscape into the interior and amplifying the perception of depth and openness.

The upper volume is positioned perpendicularly to the base, allowing framed views across the plot while creating a semi-covered outdoor space toward the rear. This configuration not only reinforces privacy for the bedrooms but also enhances spatial variety through shifting perspectives and filtered light.

Vertical Connection and Landscape Integration

Where the two volumes intersect, vertical circulation and a double-height void articulate the transition between floors. This spatial void introduces scale, light, and visual continuity, reinforcing the house’s role as a viewpoint rather than a closed object.

A defining feature of the project is the use of the ground-floor roof as a green terrace for the upper level. This elevated landscape returns to the ground what the architecture has occupied, generating a new layer of vegetation and an artificial topography. The roof garden acts as an extension of the natural site, reinforcing the idea of the house as an inhabited landscape rather than a detached structure.

Materiality and Environmental Control

Materially, FEN House is defined by a restrained palette of polished concrete and exposed wood, used consistently across planes and structural systems. This material continuity unifies interior and exterior spaces while emphasizing the horizontality of the site and the architectural volumes.

To mediate light, privacy, and views, the façade incorporates a system of hardwood folding shutters. These movable panels function as a climatic and visual filter, allowing the house to adapt to changing environmental conditions. By controlling sunlight, shadows, and degrees of openness, the shutters enhance comfort while maintaining a strong connection to the landscape.

A Contemporary House as a Living Viewpoint

FEN House exemplifies a contemporary residential architecture that prioritizes landscape integration, spatial fluidity, and environmental responsiveness. Through its layered volumes, reflective water elements, and elevated green surfaces, the project expands beyond the notion of a single-family house to become an architectural viewpoint: one that actively engages with nature, light, and the evolving conditions of its semi-urban Argentine context.