PROJECT.
ARQ. JORGE LUIS HERNÁNDEZ SILVA / HERNÁNDEZ SILVA ARQUITECTOS
TEAM.
ARQ. ALEJANDRO APONTE GÓMEZ
STRUCTURAL CALCULATIONS.
ING. ALVARO VALLEJO
TADE
PHOTOGRAPHY.
CARLOS DÍAZ CORONA
“Casa Roja” (Red House) is located in a real estate development in West Zapopan. Among the features of the land, streets flank it by two of its sides (north and west), at the East its located one of the biggest forests in the city: Colomos Forest. The house is placed in the shape of a “T”, leaving a projection that divides the house in two big patios or two big empty spaces: one of them is a contemplative patio, which alludes the typical Mexican patio, inviting yourself to relaxation and enjoyment. The other patio is presented as a garden. The formal result of the house obeys the requirements of the clients; for them the social area (the terrace) is the most important space. The idea is to enter the house passing thorough a garden, topping with a small lobby which welcomes us giving a sensation of intimacy before allowing access. Crossing this lobby we get to the point where the elements that form the “T” join, being this space the one with the highest hierarchy given that it crosses the part of the big empty space generating a lineal element, having a view of the two patios. The lobby becomes the heart of the house, thanks to the Myrtle, which emphasize the vertical space, and allows the circulations from the garage to the ground floor and first floor to surround it , giving life to the house and a stable climate to the inside of the property. Referring to the aforementioned central patio, it is important to mention that we managed to highlight it through a double height, achieving a visual connection between the outside and the lobby with the Myrtle. The kitchen should be an element which opens to the interior of the house and to the terrace, so it can have a direct relation to both spaces, and turn it closeable, this way the central space could have a different aspect according to its use.
The volumetric concept of the house is that the whole ground floor of the house gives the feeling of this base of stone and that this big element over the base simulates floating above it. Using the Red color allowed to generate a warm environment. Besides, the use of this color and stone with small outbreaks of rusting would generate a very interesting combination.The lattice was produced from steel plates, the suns movement was perfectly studied in order to determine its placement and having the patio illuminated but without sunrays to the inside. This was achieved by placing it in two directions: one towards the east and other towards the west. The living room and the study are separated by a chimney, the studio is a space with more privacy and it’s surrounded completely by the garden completely. Regarding the family area, the intention was to make an intimate space that would provide many activities: family gathering, study and entertainment, presented like as a big lobby to the bedrooms in a way that the master bedroom and this space generate a tension in which the lobby becomes a backbone that interweaves the spaces. On one side, the house has state of the art technology and on the other, it tries to recover the natural elements of the area instead of artificial elements, using quarry stone, black stone, marble, wood, natural bondings, clay pieces and metal plates, allowing to work on the house in a more traditional, handmade way, achieving with this the spirit of warmth the clients wanted.