OF. Brutal Honesty: Concrete Terraces Embrace Andean Desert Vistas
OF. Brutal Honesty stands in Mendoza Province, Argentina, a house by OF. Studio that treats the hillside as both structure and guide. The project works with the terrain’s terraces and the Andean climate, placing a concrete plateau above earth-toned retaining walls to hold communal life and far-reaching views. Inside and out, the sequence favors connection while respecting privacy.
Retaining walls step with the slope. Above them, a low concrete plane gathers light and wind, setting a horizon line that frames desert mountains and the green oasis below.
This is a house in Mendoza Province by OF. Studio, seated on a hillside and organized by the site’s gradients and exposure. At its core: a measured response to sun, wind, and view, where earth-colored concrete and native vegetation guide form and use. The result is direct in expression and tuned to place.
Negotiate Sun And View
North brings steady daylight. The plan acknowledges that logic while opening broad outlooks southward to the most dramatic scenery, setting deep overhangs and protective walls to temper glare and heat across the day. Circulation tracks the contours, so each turn catches a different slice of the Andean horizon.
Terraces Into Landscape
Four terraces pull daily life outside. The main platform extends living and dining toward the slope, with a neighboring BBQ court sized for gatherings and a third level by the playroom that grants children a semi-independent perch. Above, the roof becomes a plateau with yoga, a fireplace, a jacuzzi, and planted beds that frame sky and distant ridges.
Rooms Across Three Levels
Program stacks by sensation. Below grade sits the basement, the ground floor holds the communal core anchored by the kitchen, and the first floor rises into open air for long views and quiet retreat. Three stairways give alternate routes, trading speed for experience when desired.
Material Ties To Earth
Concrete carries the load. Earth-toned walls read as extensions of the hill — their color tuned on site with regional builders to echo surrounding soil and rock. The canyon side turns more solid, shielding southern exposure while sharpening the massing into a confident silhouette.
Passive First, Systems Second
Air moves freely. Thermal insulation, shading, and cross-ventilation lower demand before equipment steps in, with solar panels, solar heaters, and a greywater loop supporting daily routines. Native vegetation stays intact, and the house settles into the slope without the loss of a single tree.
Evening light rakes the concrete and picks out the grain of formwork. From the rooftop plateau, the desert cools and the oasis greens deepen into shadow, and the structure holds steady against the hillside.
Photography courtesy of OF. Studio
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