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Originally the site of a single story derelict house on roughly 200sqm of land, Quintana 4598 now contains 12 small apartments ranging from 32sqm to 44sqm, with a focus on affordability and fostering of community. Each apartment is designed with flexibility and comfort in mind. The kitchen, bathroom, storage and sleeping area are condensed into a cleverly designed multifunctional joinery unit on one side, freeing up a larger area for the resident to personalise and furnish as they desire. Each also features a large balcony with a full size sliding door, allowing access to the outdoors, whilst a window above the door brings in even more natural light. The rooftop of the building, with it’s green space, swimming pool and common area, is designed to promote interaction between the residents and build community. In a city like Buenos Aires where the cost per square metre is really high, Quintana 4598 allows access to affordable housing in a central area, and the decision to build small apartments creates more generous community areas to make life better for its residents.

#smallapartment #architecture #interiordesign

Project Name: Quintana 4598
Architect: http://www.irarquitectura.com/

Produced by New Mac Video Agency
Creator: Colin Chee
Director/Camera Operator: Fernando Schapochnik
Producer: Lindsay Barnard
Editor: Jessica Ruasol
Thumbnail photography: Federico Cairoli
Music: Draw Close by We Dream of Eden
Transcript
00:10This apartment is located in Saavedra, in Buenos Aires City, Argentina.
00:19In Buenos Aires, the cost per square meter is really high.
00:24We wanted to design good affordable housing that allows people to get into the market.
00:32There are 14 people living in Quintana, mainly young people and couples.
00:38And of course, I'm one of those 14 people.
00:51Saavedra is a neighborhood located in the northern part of Buenos Aires City.
00:57It's 4.5 kilometers from downtown Buenos Aires.
01:03It's characterized by its green areas, biking lines and all the public spaces.
01:09It's also a really quiet neighborhood in a really busy city.
01:17Before we started the construction, there was one storehouse that was really damaged and no one lived there.
01:26The land has almost 200 square meters.
01:29So it's a small lot where we located 9 apartments of 32 square meters, also 3 apartments of 44 square
01:38meters.
01:40The facade is clad in a metal structure with wires and plant boxes to allow the plants to grow in
01:47the facade and complete it.
01:51In the ground floor, we have the access, storage rooms for every apartment, a bike parking lot and car parking
02:00lot also.
02:03We wanted to design a building where residents can interact and build a close community.
02:12On the top of the building, we designed a multipurpose community room that is also linked to a green roof,
02:19a swimming pool, common areas on the rooftop.
02:24That was designed to involve people and to make stronger the community feeling.
02:36The design idea for the apartment is to have a flexible space to be easily personalized, but still have all
02:44the needs for a comfortable living.
02:46We condensed the kitchen, bathroom, storage and sleeping area to one side of the apartment.
02:56With that solution, we managed to free up the larger space of the apartment for the residents to personalize and
03:04furnish the space as they want.
03:09When you walk into the apartment, on the right side, you find a wide storage wall.
03:16We use bifold doors for the bathroom and kitchen. They don't consume much space when you open them.
03:25The three-meter concrete ceiling also offers generous storage above the kitchen and bathroom.
03:34In the kitchen, we have everything we need.
03:38We have an electric cooktop, a refrigerator, an oven and all the storage spaces.
03:47The countertops are composed by small parts of recycled stone.
03:52It's really easy to manage on the construction and it's also really easy to clean.
04:00And we used grey tiles for the splash back.
04:07The bathroom has a floating bench top with storage underneath.
04:14And the mirror running along the length of the bathroom to get the illusion of a bigger space.
04:20We also continued with the use of tiles, in this case green, in the other wall of the bathroom.
04:30The sleeping space is above the wardrobe.
04:34We have a hanging space in the pull-out wardrobe with drawers also.
04:42One of the drawers was designed as a step to get into the bed.
04:48The bed area can fit a queen size bed.
04:52On one side of the bed there is a wall of shelving where I can display all my personal belongings
04:59and books or charge my cell phone for example.
05:05I can sit on the bed to read a book and enjoy the views from the balcony.
05:13It's really important to have access to the outside in these tiny apartments.
05:18Every apartment has a balcony with a full size sliding door so we can expand the use of the apartment
05:26to the outside.
05:28In the balconies we use a waterproof stretched canvas for under cover and to guarantee the privacy between neighbors.
05:37We also have another window above the sliding doors to get more natural light into the apartments.
05:44It also extends the views from within the apartment.
05:50In Buenos Aires the cost per square meter is really high.
05:55This kind of feeling allows people to get access to a house in a central area.
06:01But also gets another opportunity by sharing as a community bigger spaces.
06:08So we can put together small apartments and really generous common areas to make life better for everyone.
06:16To do it again.
06:22To do it again.
06:31To do it again.
06:32To do it again.
06:33I can't wait to see the matter now.
06:33To do it again.
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