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IR Arquitectura is not just a studio; it defines itself as a platform for exploration that integrates architectural practice with tangential topics such as the city, landscape, technology, and sustainability. Founded in 2008 by Luciano Intile and Enrico Cavaglià in Buenos Aires, Argentina, IR Arquitectura is an interdisciplinary collective comprising architects, designers, and professionals from various fields. Together, they tackle projects of varying scales and natures, seizing each opportunity to explore new solutions and strategies for contemporary living, particularly in urban contexts and in close connection with the environment.
The path of IR Arquitectura has been shaped by projects developed by both founding partners, along with other members of the studio. Enrico Cavaglià, born in Turin, Italy, is an architect from the Politecnico di Milano and earned a dual degree at the University of Buenos Aires. Luciano Intile, on the other hand, is an architect from the Faculty of Architecture, Design, and Urbanism at the University of Buenos Aires and holds a Master’s in Advanced Architectural Design from ETSAM in Madrid. Both have complemented their practice with teaching roles at institutions such as the Torcuato Di Tella University and the University of Buenos Aires, as well as serving as advisors in government units in the city of Buenos Aires. Their work has been recognized at events like the X Ibero-American Biennial of Architecture and Urbanism (2016) and the Latin American Architecture Biennial (2019). Recently, their project La Terencia was exhibited at the latest edition of the Venice Biennale.
IR Arquitectura’s methodology is deeply rooted in experimentation, hands-on work, and constructive trial and error. It begins with a thorough analysis of the site and a profound understanding of the future users of each project—their habits, customs, and visions of how they imagine living in the new spaces. Regardless of the project’s scope, the IR team focuses on getting to know the users in-depth, allowing them to explore their own ways of inhabiting. This approach avoids preconceived notions or an overreliance on aesthetics. Through preliminary analyses and playful tools co-designed with future users, they successfully define the architectural program and develop a project aligned with their needs and aspirations.
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Their methodology is dynamic, collaborative, and experimental, turning each commission into an opportunity for innovation by integrating conceptual reflection and project strategies to shape their designs. Currently, the studio focuses on the concept of living, approaching this complex topic from various perspectives and developing it through built works, research, academic activities, and constant reflection on practice. Through this process, the IR Arquitectura team has developed a series of core concepts that provide a formal framework for their architectural proposals. These fundamental principles are five in total and are reflected in the built projects the studio has completed to date:
Systems of Coexistence, From Grouping to Cooperativism: The idea is to move away from viewing housing clusters as merely a programmatic system and instead understand them as a model of cooperation among all residents. This approach aims to provide high-quality spaces that foster neighborly interaction while integrating programs and shared-use areas.
Devices, From Technique to System: Programmatic openness allows for greater possibilities, freeing up layouts to promote flexibility. This involves rethinking the spaces necessary for living by developing devices that function as multifunctional equipment capable of addressing various uses and needs. For instance, beds serving as storage units or bathrooms are integrated into a wardrobe. In this way, the remaining space is freed, giving it a dynamic character with expanded possibilities.
Reflecting on the primary uses assigned to housing leads us to question what is truly necessary. The devices proposed by IR Arquitectura activate other functions and become key elements that address various needs in an integrated manner. Standardization and the creation of a catalog of elements that form the basic programs of living can serve as a foundation for designing adaptable housing, with spaces that are not specifically planned but conceived to be flexible.
Domestic Spaces, From Determinism to Programmatic Openness: Programmatic openness in domestic space is achieved through the devices mentioned earlier, which address what cannot be negotiated in a habitable space or home. The rest of the space remains subject to total flexibility, further modulated by the enclosures, which are treated in various ways. This results in a constant process of flexibilization, allowing the space to dynamically adapt to different needs and uses.
Environmental Mediation, From Comfort to Hyperlink: The treatment of enclosures and façades in IR Arquitectura’s work acts as points of mediation with the exterior environment. They propose a shift from a rigid boundary between interior and exterior to a more flexible concept, where the boundary is softened and at times nearly disappears. The idea is to blur these edges to merge the exterior with the interior. Ground floors that can fully open allow for the creation of new environments, pushing the boundaries and expanding the spaces. In this way, the environments extend, and the line between interior and exterior becomes unclear. Elements such as bellows and filters reinforce this transition, creating a more fluid and dynamic relationship between the two realms.
Ecosystemic Coexistence, From Human Habitat to Global Ecosystem: Understanding the interactions between all living beings that occur within and around architecture is also fundamental to the studio’s practice. It begins with the pre-existence of the territory, characterized by its biodiversity, variety of species, and vegetation, fostering an active biological exchange. The approach involves creating biological regeneration maps in various parts of the city to identify and enhance key areas. Detailed studies of the species present in the territories to be intervened serve as a foundation for designing the landscaping of the projects, harmoniously integrating nature and architecture.
In the near future, the studio will continue to explore and refine the themes developed in its housing projects, applying them to larger-scale buildings and new typologies and programs, such as schools, universities, and healthcare centers, among others. Additionally, they will deepen their research related to the territory, water management, and its connection to architecture, tackling projects of greater complexity and scale.
Below is a selection of six built works by IR Arquitectura, which reflect the methodologies of work and the theoretical, programmatic, and constructive themes that have shaped their path to date.
Folie Pavilions
ATO House
El Camarin
La Terencia
Quintana 4598 Building
La soñada
This article is part of an ArchDaily series titled Get to Know the Works of, where we look at the built portfolio of a studio, explore their creative process, and highlight their approach. As always, at ArchDaily, we greatly appreciate the contributions of our readers. If you think we should highlight a particular architectural firm, send us your suggestions.