HIDDEN 33
The "hidden" house at number thirty-three is located in a gated community in the Camino Real to Cholula area. It marks the second direct commission for the office, as we had previously designed a café in a nearby context for this family.
The client provided us with an Excel matrix that perfectly illustrated their spatial needs and a sketch of the architectural floor plan. So, how should we proceed? Ignore their ideas or continue building trust with the future inhabitants?
Our approach was to take this matrix as a starting point to begin a spatial translation. We had full confidence in this design strategy because the client shared extensive experience in inhabiting spaces. This was not their first home built by a construction professional; they had gone through several trial-and-error attempts to understand how they used the spaces in a house.
The spatial zoning was specified based on the matrix tabulated by the users, complemented by the generation of an architectural program by the designer architects. Intentions and compositional axes emerged to solve the floor plans.
The scheme consists of a single volume encompassing the entire program, "floating" on the 400m² lot. It steps away from the southern boundary to create a garden that brings greenery and warmth to the rooms on all levels. The design discreetly and empathetically embraces the corner, respecting the pedestrian scale, the condominium's restrictions, and providing green spaces for the neighborhood.
The spatial sequence can be read as a cross cutting through this "shoebox." The ground floor accommodates all public and service programs, the first floor organizes the bedrooms, and the top floor includes a TV room and terrace offering views of the volcanoes and a small chapel.
The classic shoebox serves as the initial volumetric action. The second step is to "break the box," balancing solid and void elements and defining the "window-place" to create depth. Openings are tapered and perforated, resembling the diaphragm of a camera lens, adding body to the volumetric mass. The third step focuses on the image. The structure and finishes are exposed and resistant to the site's latitude, designed to endure over time. Materials are natural and local, combining wood, metal beams, and European-style aluminum.
The facades are based on classical principles (base, shaft, and capital). A stone base with an exposed concrete frame and a warm tzalam wood door forms the foundation. The next level features a rustic white finish, and the uppermost level is accented with warm colors and wooden beams supported by decorative brackets.
The clients requested a house in the "Santorini style." In the workshop, we considered that style reflects the geography and atmosphere of a place. We designed this home in the language of "critical regionalism."