As the architect’s home, SR House materialized the design language for the rest of the horizontal condominium, El Nido Jurica in Querétaro, Mexico. In it, the vocabulary of contemporary Mexican design meets precise craftsmanship to achieve a home with high quality design and responsible sustainability practices.
The site – 10,300 ft2 in size – posed the challenge of arranging the program as to leave the existing trees undisturbed, a fundamental premise of the project’s design.
The home’s public and service areas are concentrated on the ground floor, all of them with a direct connection to the garden, and all of them allowing sunlight to brighten the space. This connection between built and unbuilt environment becomes key as the house opens itself along the entirety of the ground floor.
The library was given special attention during the design process; placed outside the house’s main volume and connected to it via a glass passageway, it takes in the surrounding greenery to create a remarkable space. Its walls, constructed with locally sourced masonry, serve as a prime example of the attention to detail brought to the design.
The remainder of the program can be found on the second story, comprised of three bedrooms and a family room. As with the rest of the house, the choice and treatment of materials reflects a commitment to the highest quality standards. With crafted stone walls, steel elements, and wood as the most prominent elements of the composition, its Mexican heritage shines through, bringing familiar elements into the contemporary world.
The house was designed with sustainability in mind; starting with its construction and culminating in its everyday use, SR House leverages both active and passive bioclimatic strategies to ensure comfort for its users while being ecologically responsible. With thick exterior walls, proper orientation, and cross ventilation, the temperature inside remains stable despite Querétaro’s significant temperature swings. Water is carefully managed as to avoid waste, softening it upon entry, and treating it to maximize its reusability for watering the garden and the green roof above the library. Cutting edge technology is employed across all aspects of the house, from the selection of specially designed Low-E glass for its western façade, to automated systems for comfort and security.
Overall, SR House is a project that boasts a high-quality design, cutting edge technology, and systems that work together to ensure the user’s comfort, without compromising esthetics, harmony, and functionality.