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Architects: As Arquitectura + Diseño
- Year: 2018
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Photographs:César Béjar
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Lead Architect: Arq. Alejandra Abreu Sacramento + Arq. Xavier Abreu Sacramento
Text description provided by the architects. This is a residential house of approximately 340 m² located in the Aldea Zamá community in Tulum, Quintana Roo. The project features a design that always seeks the integration of exterior and interior spaces, creating patios that articulate the spaces and allow views to flow through them towards the rest of the land, which preserves the native vegetation without being altered.
The location of the program components responds to the conservation of the pre-existing vegetation, utilizing areas with less vegetation to develop the covered spaces and forming various patios around groups of significant trees as an articulating element.
The pursuit of fluidity in the interior spaces arises from the opening of all of them towards the patios, without walls blocking the view, integrating the exterior with the interior and vice versa, creating spaces that are virtually larger, brighter, and with natural ventilation, where all areas of the house enjoy views of the outdoors. These conditions also help reduce the consumption of electrical energy.
Formally, the project is conceived as two volumes floating above the lateral boundary walls; these bodies correspond to the bedrooms that embrace a group of significant trees and form the patios that connect the public spaces. These elevated volumes allow the social area on the ground floor to have clear views of the existing vegetation. On the upper floor, the volumes of the bedrooms are connected by an exterior corridor, which creates a path in contact with the existing vegetation.
Furthermore, for the finishes, materials from the region were used, such as wood, bajareque (a traditional building material), and stone placed in an artisanal manner, which contrasts with the steel structure that gives a contemporary look within the jungle of the area. Concrete stucco is also used, combined with the resin from the chukum tree, which not only has waterproof properties but also achieves greater harmony with the pre-existing elements on the site and provides a warm coloration to the project naturally.
The house offers the user a sense of comfort through the management of light and contact with nature, which enhances the quality of life of the user. The architectural proposal of the house ensures that the main protagonist of the project is the vegetation and that the ensemble perfectly blends with the context.
