CASA MEZQUITES
When nature acts as the protagonists on a site, the design approach of conservation is key, having six Mezquite trees and a cactus tree ( NOPAL) of great gesture. The conceptual criteria of the house is to preserve these natural elements through a series of courtyards were the house interweaves around them generating a strong interior exterior relationship, these courtyards work as visual protagonists to frame views towards the existing vegetation.
A central courtyard was created to allocate the cactus tree (NOPAL) works as a vital central core of the house where all spaces have a visual relationship to. Through a covered outdoor space the Nopal is framed as well as the back patio and to the side, the large mesquite tree.
The volumes are organized in 2 masses which interconnect with the living, stairs and corridors, interweaving the program from one volume to another. The result can be seen by disconnecting the rooms from the artist studio on the upper level; on the lower level the living room is the connection between kitchen-dining area and outdoor recreational patio. These two volumes with courtyards and recessed volumes that allocate the trees, play with various depths and are seen in different ways through the change in season and sun path. Different materials where used for the house, wood boarded concrete, wooden rail sleepers, and travertine marble for the interior creating various tones and depths with pixelating traditional clay tiles on the upper volume that allows the façade to play with the sunlight.
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