2022
MCHAP
Reserva Montoya
MAPA
La Barra, Maldonado, Uruguay
December 2021
AUTOR PRINCIPAL
MatÃas Carballal, Mauricio López, Andrés Gobba, Luciano de Andrades, Silvio Machado (Partners)
AUTOR CONTRIBUYENTE
CLIENTE
Ardax SA, represented by Jorge de León
FOTÓGRAFO
Leonardo Finotti
OBJETIVO
A structural grid made of CLT (Cross Laminated Timber) and Glulam (Glued Laminated Timber) rests on pillars made up of discarded elements from the precast concrete industry — particularly irregular cubes of approximately 80 centimeters on a side— which, stacked in a primitive way, take on new life as sculptures that articulate and give the space its identity.
Thus, the use of residual materials, together with a search for optimizing the building processes and minimizing the impact on the site, reveals an updated possible way to look at the hospitality construction in the 21st century.
At Reserva Montoya, architecture is a responsible and charismatic support for future experiences. The main building houses a restaurant, a gym and a solarium. Two other isolated constructions defined with the same project logics support other complementary uses: a pergola access to receive the residents and visitors to the neighborhood and a support space for the sports activities sector.
CONTEXTO
Reserva Montoya is a place where to rediscover nature, time and calm. An open architecture that values the existing landscape and its essential characteristics. A system with multiple combinations brings old and new industrialized pieces into play, enabling a diverse set of open, closed, covered, uncovered, contained and dispersed spaces.
Located near the Atlantic coast of eastern Uruguay, where the country's largest tourist activity is concentrated, Reserva Montoya is a venture that seeks to offer a quality differential to the typical occupation of the area.
All collective facilities are made up of buildings that have been designed as a single system. The main communal equipment is a large 36 x 21 meter laminated wood pergola that frames the Laguna Blanca landscape and seeks a horizontal counterpoint with the pine and eucalyptus forest. At the same time, the wooden structure provides protection to various spaces: interiors that turn to the surrounding environment and exteriors with gardens of native flora that are activated by wooden platforms equipped for outdoor activities.
ACTUACIÓN
The time that has passed since the opening of Reserva Montoya has served as a period of experimentation and learning around the possible performance of its spaces and equipment.
In this sense, in addition to the conventional uses that had been planned for the main building, the open and quietly shaded environment that is formed under the wooden structure—especially during the summer months of the global south, from December to March—has started to host new spontaneous activities. Thus, open yoga and meditation classes, ceramics meetings or night events with music and dance have been organized.
In turn, the native vegetation that was planted according to the sensitive landscape project of Estudio Bulla, grows in an adapted but wild way, attracting birds and insects and requiring little maintenance. The pillars formed by the stacking of large concrete cubes have begun an aging process due to their exposure to the oceanic climate, giving rise to the appearance of mosses and small plants.
