Mano Arquitectura reinterprets the vernacular architecture of the Pyrenean area in the Pleta Arriu housing development in Baqueira Beret.

The Mano Arquitectura studio has designed the Pleta Arriu development, a set of 38 homes distributed in groups of two, three, four and five houses, surrounded by large green areas. The slope facilitates the layout of each building, so that none of them obstructs the view of the others and allows them all to enjoy the direct southern sun, which is so necessary during the winter months. This slope also makes it possible to organise the rooms of the house on different floors.

The architect Sebastián Machado, founder and director of Mano Arquitectura, designed a contemporary house typology with all the comforts, reinterpreting the vernacular architecture of this Pyrenean area with respectful eyes.

Machado created three different types of houses, in which views and natural light are the protagonists in each room; therefore, the entrance hall, on the lowest level, is a cosy and secluded space. As you go up, the double-height spaces, sloping ceilings and wide windows make living in this house a striking sensory experience.

The materials, the local natural slate in shades of grey and the natural wood, act as witnesses to the sun, wind, rain, heat and cold. They blend into their surroundings and show the passage of time with their marks of wear and tear, veins, rust, scratches, knots, porosity, colour and shine.

Project: Pleta Arriu
. Urbanización residencial con 38 viviendas
Location: Baqueira Beret, España

Architecture: Mano Arquitectura.

Architect: Sebastián Machado.
Customer: Grupo Avintia.
Promoter: Lantana Premium.
Renders: Bside Visuals.
Photography: Carlos Segura.
Surface: 17.029 m².
Finished: 2023.

Mano Arquitectura

Founded in 2004 by Sebastián Machado (Buenos Aires 1976), Mano Arquitectura designs in a careful and detailed way, with the clear influence of the place and the people who live there. They start from a deep knowledge of that habitat to design spaces with the love and passion for things that are well done and designed to last.

The Mano Arquitectura team is made up of professionals from various disciplines: urban planning, landscaping, architecture, engineering, interior design and furniture design are integrated into each project in a coherent way to express ideas that draw from the past but look to the future.

A look that seeks to integrate into the landscape in a subtle way and create a dialogue between people and the place, aware that human beings need all their senses to connect with nature and that each stone that is placed implies a responsibility towards the environment.

They carefully choose noble materials which, with the subtle use of light, create atmospheres that activate the senses and, with them, the memory. The smell of wood, the echo of stone, the feel of stucco: the materials are selected with today in mind, but also with their way of ageing, their way of accepting the passage of time, the patina caused by wear and tear and their ability to break and remain beautiful.

The works they design aim to extend the wisdom of the place by bringing new signs that enrich the environment. They aspire to a timeless architecture that is capable of creating new sensations.

Source: Mano Arquitectura.

Project by Sebastián Machado. Mano Arquitectura