From a ruined house to a respectful space | House Frugoni by Estudio Cabrera Arquitectura
- Arq. Jenny Torres
- 2 days ago
- 5 min read
AUTHOR: Jenny Torres
Passionate about reinterpreting the relationship between history and contemporary life.
PROJECT: Reciclaje Frugoni.
ARCHITECTS: Arq. Alfonso Cabrera - Estudio Cabrera Arquitectura.
PHOTOGRAPHY: Santiago Veas, Alfonso Cabrera.
LOCATION: Cordón, Montevideo - Uruguay.
YEAR: 2020.
SQUARE METERS: 200 M2.
In the Historic Center of Montevideo, there is a problem common to other Latin American cities, which probably exists in yours as well. This situation arises as a result of urban expansion and growth toward the outskirts of cities, which leads to the emptying of central areas, the commercialization of spaces, and the deterioration or lack of protection of architectural heritage. These problems result in abandoned buildings, demolitions, and an urban development model that often does not prioritize real estate investment in building revitalization.
In this context, with flexible regulations regarding facades, since if we look at the adjacent buildings, they bear no resemblance to the house, which was in a state of neglect, this is where the commission is given to the Cabrera studio, which brings urban acupuncture to the table to achieve respectful densification, and before you ask...
What is respectful densification?
I'll tell you: it is understood as densifying without disrupting the existing urban scale, in other words, increasing housing density in the same area without displacing or overburdening the environment, based on meeting contemporary needs while honoring and reinterpreting elements of the original housing.
This is achieved by offering varied typologies suitable for different family configurations; the study proposes a small residential complex on a traditional courtyard plot, around which the circulation and relationships between the three resulting housing units are arranged.
The successful integration is also achieved in terms of the city, on the façade, by maintaining continuity of proportion—urban alignment with the adjacent properties—incorporating contemporaneity not through rupture but rather through balance between simple geometries, a sober formal language with neutral materials, and a low profile with volumetric simplicity devoid of ornamentation.
But where do we start?
Probably preserving elements of the old house, such as the existing load-bearing walls, seeking to make minimal structural intervention, or the courtyard, which is a valuable heritage feature due to its flexibility and adaptability.
It is this type of courtyard that takes on a new meaning in the project; it ceases to be a residual space and becomes the central axis of the architectural proposal.
It changes to serve as an articulating element and common space, as well as distributing the housing units together with the vertical circulations, thus contributing greater spatial-environmental quality by introducing new programs, providing privacy, enhancing cross ventilation, and favoring natural lighting.
The typological respect is also evident in the walls, which retain their original thickness of 50 cm, promoting an aesthetic based on material honesty in which the mixture of the existing and the new is evident. This creates historical legibility and visual coherence, articulating the interior of the house with the exterior of the street, demonstrating that pre-existing structures can produce contemporary spaces.
So, what is new?
Well, without a doubt, the improvement in the efficiency of the program is a valuable point to highlight, going from a single dwelling with a courtyard to three housing units, a courtyard, and a usable roof in the same space.
The housing unit closest to the street retains greater independence; it is a duplex ideal for a small family. On the other hand, the internal units are ideal for a couple, regaining privacy through the set of openings that open onto the internal courtyard.
This segmentation of dwellings is achieved by combining lightweight materials with traditional structures, reducing environmental impact and demolition costs. Similarly, by making ingenious use of the usable space, vertical circulation is externalized and located in the courtyard, thus freeing up the housing units and avoiding internal corridors.
In densely populated cities, social revitalization becomes an essential value; therefore, activating the roof as a livable outdoor space represents an effective strategy for increasing density without expanding land use. While promoting community life and the shared use of outdoor space, the Frugoni project transforms the terrace into a common area for the residential complex, incorporating a pergola, a barbecue, and a laundry area, thereby consolidating a space for daily gathering and coexistence.
And what about the environment?
The respectful densification of the project is also evident in the limited choice of materials and sober aesthetics, reinforced by simple construction solutions that prioritize volumetric cleanliness both outside and inside. These resources express a light, economical, and coherent architecture where formal simplicity becomes a design principle rather than a technical limitation.
In this sense, the use of white-painted plaster for facades; simple carpentry, probably aluminum or lacquered wood; concrete stairs; white-painted metal handrails, and wooden elements in the roof pergola; for the exterior and interior: white wall and ceiling finishes, neutral wood floors, metal window frames, and a light metal structure for stairs with seemingly floating steps—all speak to the ease of maintaining the property.
The use of passive strategies in the project by the Cabrera studio tells us that architectural sustainability does not lie solely in technology, but in the ability to transform with sensitivity, reinterpret what has been built without destroying it, and incorporate the material memory of the place into the design. which is why the façade maintains urban coherence but introduces a contemporary interpretation: it preserves the thickness of the original wall, while deep openings and a cut-out system create a modern image without disrupting the existing scale.
It is this strategy of controlled framing and depths in the walls that function as “thresholds” between the public and the private; between the controlled entry of natural light into the interior of the dwellings and the diffused light provided by the courtyard; it also allows for optimal natural cross ventilation for interior comfort, added to the incorporation of vegetation in the interior courtyard.
Where contemporary architecture faces the challenge of adapting to consolidated urban contexts, horizontal expansion has reached its limits, and built heritage requires new ways of inhabiting; small-scale rehabilitation emerges as an effective strategy not only for conserving existing structures but also for redefining their use and meaning in the city.
The Cabrera studio project shows that this rehabilitation should not be understood as an act of passive preservation, but as an opportunity for typological and social reinterpretation, where the building becomes a laboratory for coexistence between the old and the new, between emptiness and densification, between memory and contemporary life.
Its formal clarity and economy of resources make it exportable to similar contexts in Latin American cities.
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