Local studio DUB Arquitectura has created a metal-clad house called Casa La Escocesa, which features “insulating blankets” made of sheep wool that otherwise would have been incinerated.
The 150-square-metre project is located on a farm in Argentina’s subtropical Pampas region, which consists of agricultural fields that stretch over flat plains. The building site is surrounded by crops, sheep and polo horses.
Long and rectangular in plan, the building sits atop a platform and is covered with a gabled roof. The house was designed by DUB Arquitectura, a studio based in Buenos Aires, to follow the site conditions and to allow for future expansion.
The interior is divided into four main areas: a kitchen and dining room, a bedroom, a bathroom, and a multi-purpose attic space. A breezeway lies at the centre of the plan.
“The central patio serves as an outdoor distribution hall and a space for meeting and contemplation of the surrounding and eternal landscape,” the team said.
When choosing the building’s materials, the team opted for low- or no-maintenance options, to minimise the project’s operational energy.
Facades are clad in corrugated metal sheets, and plywood was used abundantly within the house.
Discarded sheep wool was used for insulation, making use of a local product. The team said 4,000 tons of sheep wool are discarded yearly in the province of Buenos Aries.
The insulation thickness varies around the house, depending upon the orientation to the sun.
“The house was used as a case study to implement the first insulating blankets made from discarded wool from this particular region, which is usually burnt,” the team said.
“Now, the house is measured every season to test the evolution of the material, which is showing great performance.”
Glazing was minimised in certain areas, yet the home remains filled with natural light. Above the bathroom and the main corridor, the team introduced skylights to reduce reliance on artificial light.
All rooms feature cross-ventilation and sun protection on windows, including the attic, where special vents provide ventilation during warm months.
Other projects involving sheep wool include an English sauna by Architects Holiday that has red shingles and insulation made of recycled plastic and wool, and a Chilean house by Team Citic that consists of three gabled volumes with sheep wool insulation.
The photography is by Fernando Schapochnik.
Project credits:
Architect: DUB Arquitectura
Architect in charge: Angie Dub
Collaborators: Belén Butler, Tabatha Walter
