There has always been a sense of play to the art of architectural design, with designers using spaces and materials as puzzle pieces and building blocks, alike. Unfortunately, this aspect of the design process is not always evident in the final structure. However, when sense of play does makes it off the drawing board to an actual structure, it creates spaces that go beyond just being bearers of function. Casa Neptuna is one such structure.

Fundación Ama Amoedo, a not-for-profit organisation committed to amplifying Latin American art, announced a residency program, beginning in 2023. The residency, based in José Ignacio, Uruguay, called for a space that could be shared by two participants, facilitating an exchange of thoughts and ideas.

As an organisation focussed on the art scene of Argentina and Uruguay, it was only natural that an Argentina artist and designer take on the task of sculpting the space for the residency. Edgardo Gimenez, a visual artist, known for the development of Pop Art in Latin America, as well as a pioneer of multidisciplinary art experiences in Argentina, took on this role.

The Casa is nestled in the natural oceanic environment and native forest. The site had a small pre-existing building and Gimenez designed Casa Neptuna around it. The residential architecture was constructed during the pandemic, which meant Gimenez was supervising via abundant video calls, while a local architect and his construction team worked on site in José Ignacio to bring the building to life.

Casa Neptuna is a collection of spaces that inspire original thought and artistic expression. Gimenez’s residential design is a bundle of geometric design volumes that intertwine to create habitable spaces. Above these habitable spaces is a set of decorative elements. A series of abstract shapes, bookended by two green arches, add to the playful aesthetic of the building, which is further enhanced by the circular and clover shaped doors and windows.

The Casa itself consists of a shared studio, private bedrooms with en-suite bathrooms, a fully equipped kitchen, and a shared multipurpose room. Bedrooms and bathrooms being the only private spaces is deliberate. The Casa, by design, encourages its inhabitants from different disciplines to think, work, and live together. Each resident is invited to add a book to the Casa Neptuna Library, during their stay, leaving behind a tangible expression of their stay.

With a playful external structure featuring vibrant colours, Casa Neptuna was conceived to incite creative thinking. The colours of its exterior respond to the artist's work, appealing to his already famous pop palette. – Fundación Ama Amoedo

Despite its stunning location and expert volumetric play, the most striking part of the structure is its colour palette. The main envelope of the building is a dazzling green contrasted by the decorative elements being blue, yellow, and pink. Owing to this fearless use of colour, Casa Neptuna has become the newest member of a rather exclusive club of vivid buildings. This club is occupied by giants like The BioMuseo in Panama by Frank Gehry, The Kuggen Building in Sweden by Gert Wingårdh, and La Muralla Roja in Spain by Ricardo Bofill. Casa Neptuna holds its own within that category.

The interior design  of the building is in sharp contrast to the exteriors. The spaces are kept white, light, and airy with black accents. They are also spacious and largely unadorned, catering to a variety of artistic tendencies. This is a deliberate conceptual design choice promoting calm and concentration amongst the inhabitants of the space.

If pop architecture, like pop art or pop music, was a mainstream house of style, Casa Neptuna would be its prime resident. It makes no attempt to blend into the natural landscape or to stylistically echo the buildings near it. It makes a mockery of aesthetic context in the best, most unabashed, way. When photographed, every part of the building creates a frame worthy print. It is entirely fitting that an artist and designer created a building that is art and is a space to create art, simultaneously.