Rooted in the heart of Paris, Place des États-Unis is a refined residential project that delicately merges the elegance of Haussmannian architecture with a distinctly contemporary sensibility. The client's brief called for a space that would feel warm yet structured, understated yet full of intention—a home that prioritizes tactile experience and clarity of form.

The project is located on a large plot of land in San Miguel del Monte, near the rural neighborhood of La Florentina. This is a low-density area, characterized by green expanses, dirt roads, and the presence of metal silos that complete the landscape. These agricultural structures, typical of the imagery surrounding getaways from the city of Buenos Aires, serve as both a symbolic and material point of reference.

The hut (mak, 막) is one of humanity's earliest forms of shelter, a simple structure made of a roof and ground, often without walls, shaped by and responsive to the site's conditions. In contrast, contemporary architecture tends to disregard its environment, contributing to cities filled with dense and disconnected spaces. What we now need is a gap (teum, 틈) within our cities, where natural elements can once again be felt. Teummak, combining teum (gap) and mak (hut), proposes a new kind of openness in urban life.

Zheng used to have a house in Shang'ao Village of Moganshan, which had the design style of rural houses in the 70s and 80s, but it had been left vacant for a long time. In 2018, when the homestay industry was still thriving, he thought about rebuilding the house. On one hand, it could serve as a homestay and generate some revenue. On the other hand, considering that the structure of the original house was not very stable and there was some adhesion to the space with the neighbors to the north, he wanted to solve these issues through reconstruction. We received Zheng's design commission through the recommendation of Chuanzhang and Xiaoqing. Zheng's requirements are simple: to have more rooms on a good design basis. 'Room' can be the concept as a starting point to connect the entire design.