Andar House

walking (andar): moving, changing places, taking steps, being in activity or functioning, rambling, traveling, passing, progressing, feeling, behaving, proceeding, acting, developing.

Andar House was designed with the “path” as its focus. This starting point makes the path between the spaces of the house as important as the spaces themselves, enhancing the features of the site as a whole. The project proposes spaces that can facilitate the contemplation of the view, the intimate and the incidental. The paths have these pause spaces along the way, integrated to the social parts of the house. Andar House proposes a lifestyle that embraces living in its various forms, that promotes coexistence as well as enables the intimate, while making the experience of walking through the house a daily event.

The implementation study aimed to maximize the relationship between internal and external spaces, following the natural topography of the land and the limitations imposed by condominium regulations. In this sense, the traditional concept of a central block was dismantled, giving way to smaller interconnected blocks. A space hierarchy was created, which allows the free flow, provided by the intermediate spaces. The result translated into a free experience, capable of meeting different uses and needs, with large leisure spaces, integrated social areas and reserved intimate spaces.

The vertical relationship of the spaces is designed to connect all environments and different uses through shortcuts, preventing the longer paths from becoming tiring. It allows for free walking with more than one possible path to the same destination. The relationship between internal and external spaces seeks to maximize the use of the house, where each environment has the possibility of its own interaction with the outside. All spaces have their own views and direct relationship with a garden/balcony. There are contemplative, reserved spaces, with the capacity for interaction between all family members and guests or even with a direct relationship with the street and with a privileged view of the green area in front of the lot.