The first requirement from our client was to get the most use of the land permitted by the regulations of the residential compound in which "Casa S" is located, seeking a better resale value in case the property is sold in the future. That's why the house is developed in two floors that add up to the maximum height permitted by regulations, and occupies every square meter available in its layout.
Natural illumination, open spaces, and the inclusion of green processes and technologies in the house's design were also requisites.
Design criteria, appearance and finishes:
This house presents great geometric volumes of simple and clean lines. Specific areas like the access gallery and the terrace with view to the Primavera Forrest include elements of narrative character in its sculptures as the result of design incentives that build on the contemporary Mexican style of the project.
The overall volumetric concept parts from two main elements; one with a stone texture and the second one in stucco, that live together in harmony and are separated by a vertical glass "fissure" that contains the entrance to the house. The garage doors and the main door of the house are made out of Cumarú wood and compound an element that wraps up the two main volumes. Meanwhile, the gallery is conceptualized as a cubic volume subtracted from the other two volumes, generating a feeling of contrasting vacuity in the indoor space.
The design of the house is based around the double-height central gallery that can be accessed from all the rooms in the ground floor and first floor. This access hall that has a cubic proportion ( 8.5m x 8.5m x 8.5m ) is "sliced" diagonally by a triangular water mirror. The stairs that go up to the first floor fly over the water and reach out to a crying water wall that pours its water into the mirror where Manuel Marin's sculpture group called "Allegoria de la Pintura, la Escultura y la Arquitectura" is found. Only a huge mirror and a large bench decorate this space.