Location: Morelia, Mexico
Client: Private
Budget: MXN 860,000.00
Area: 120 sqm
Construction 2003
Architect: Mara Partida, Héctor Mendoza, Samuel Arriola.
Photographs: Oscar Fernández
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The meaning of a house, a home, is understood by personal experiences. The users are the main characters, playing the role of giving life and identity to the spaces we propose.
Along the process of designing this particular house, we consider three important aspects of our client’s life: economy, environment, and spatial quality. The process was continuously enriched by client input. This input was very important since the house was designed in Barcelona, and the client was in Mexico. The goal was to achieve a proposal accomplishing client needs, desires, and comfort.
Spatial economy is read all over the house. The house is quite compact. Variety of spaces is obtained through a journey among interior spaces that get intertwined with outdoor spaces.
Interior spaces take advantage of the courtyard scheme. All spaces get south light, which is the appropriate orientation for housing. Natural ventilation is also used for cooling interior spaces when needed. With this strategy, we warranty cool spaces in summer and warm spaces in winter.
About spatial quality, we decided to take as a reference the idea the client proposed at the beginning. They wanted a contemporary interpretation of traditional Mexican house. They wanted a court yard house plus a garden. The main idea was to arrange the house around the courtyard and at the same time, to take advantage of the site geometry and use the space at the south as a backyard.
Introverting look, vs. extroverted reality. The house from the exterior is very quiet and closed, almost mute. No one could imagine the interior atmosphere created with large openings and direct spatial relation with the courtyard and the backyard.
This is an example on how original client ideas can be used and interpreted as a starting point for spatial experimentation. This work also thought us that long distance projects are possible. The project is explained with a big amount of graphics, sketches, wood models, and details.
Client: Private
Budget: MXN 860,000.00
Area: 120 sqm
Construction 2003
Architect: Mara Partida, Héctor Mendoza, Samuel Arriola.
Photographs: Oscar Fernández
Download PDF
The meaning of a house, a home, is understood by personal experiences. The users are the main characters, playing the role of giving life and identity to the spaces we propose.
Along the process of designing this particular house, we consider three important aspects of our client’s life: economy, environment, and spatial quality. The process was continuously enriched by client input. This input was very important since the house was designed in Barcelona, and the client was in Mexico. The goal was to achieve a proposal accomplishing client needs, desires, and comfort.
Spatial economy is read all over the house. The house is quite compact. Variety of spaces is obtained through a journey among interior spaces that get intertwined with outdoor spaces.
Interior spaces take advantage of the courtyard scheme. All spaces get south light, which is the appropriate orientation for housing. Natural ventilation is also used for cooling interior spaces when needed. With this strategy, we warranty cool spaces in summer and warm spaces in winter.
About spatial quality, we decided to take as a reference the idea the client proposed at the beginning. They wanted a contemporary interpretation of traditional Mexican house. They wanted a court yard house plus a garden. The main idea was to arrange the house around the courtyard and at the same time, to take advantage of the site geometry and use the space at the south as a backyard.
Introverting look, vs. extroverted reality. The house from the exterior is very quiet and closed, almost mute. No one could imagine the interior atmosphere created with large openings and direct spatial relation with the courtyard and the backyard.
This is an example on how original client ideas can be used and interpreted as a starting point for spatial experimentation. This work also thought us that long distance projects are possible. The project is explained with a big amount of graphics, sketches, wood models, and details.