Mexican architecture studio Fabián M Escalante H Arquitectos has designed a holiday home featuring a gabled volume in the middle of the house in a rural area of San Miguel de Allende, Guanajuato in México.

Named The Terrace or Rancho Sierra Allende, the 389-square-metre house was designed as a retreat to provide an escape from the bustle of the city to its inhabitants.

Located in a natural area, next to a body of water, the house's distinct aesthetic is based on a simplicity and the local construction technique that is derived from the context. 

Sitting on a rectangular layout, the house is marked by a protruding corten steel volume that was designed for the family room, dining room and bar with a double height. 

"It is configured as an ideal place to rest and develop social activities, enjoying the views of the dam and the trees that surround it," said Fabián M Escalante H Arquitectos. 

"The building was projected as one more element of the landscape, in it all the trees were preserved, seeking harmony with the natural context."

As the architects highlight, "the functional scheme responds to the needs of recreation and a continuous relationship between the interior and the exterior generating a 360 degree view."

With elongated plan, the house is enriched with a large terrace that provides a continuous circulation around it. The terrace is cut by trees from the site - the architects placed the house according the positions of trees.

The house has two entrances and lateral circulation cores that articulate the program. To the east, it is accessed through a footbridge that welcomes users with a curtain wall of ceramic lattice that provides privacy to the interior space. 

In the west side, there is a large terrace that functions as an entrance hall, it is also an extension of the interior space that has the dining room, grill and food preparation area. 

In the main gabled volume, the architects arranged a family room, dining room and bar, which has a double height. These spaces are connected to the outside and extend to the main terrace overlooking the dam. 

The design of the terrace is articulated with the South walkway, bordered by a curtain of trees, and the North with a view of the dam.

Material selection was the key element of design. The architects choice materials from the region - such as wood, clay and basalt were integrated in its construction, the structure is made of a system of steel elements and wooden beams. 

"In the lower part of the terrace, concrete piles were designed that, regardless of their structural function, have the main objective of separating the terrace from contact with water, while the upper part is built with slender steel columns," added the firm. 

The façade is made from folding PVC double-glass door system, it’s also used as thermal insulator that provides daylight and ventilation. 

The architects clad the main gabled volume with an oxidized steel sheet to have low maintenance and with thermal insulation on both sides. 

The lattice is designed with pieces of ceramic, placed at 47°, the same inclination as the gabled roof.

"The project formally and schematically highlights a volumetry and simple organization; as well as the combination of the use of current and old construction systems, which go hand in hand with the use of materials from the site handcrafted to achieve a distinctive aesthetic," continued the architects. 

According to the architects, the project was designed considering the site requirements and it respects to the environment by implementing passive cooling systems.

In the project natural resources are reused to be sustainable in its lifecycle, the design captures rainwater and wastewater are treated for reuse in the irrigation of garden areas. 

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Project facts

Project name: The Terrace / Rancho Sierra Allende

Architects: Fabián M Escalante H Arquitectos

Location: San Miguel de Allende, Guanajuato. México

Size: 388.65 square metres

Date: 2020 

Lead Architect: Fabian Marcelo Escalante Hernández. 

Team: Arq. Francisco Vázquez, Arq. Gerardo Medina, Arq. Sandra Zamora, Arq. Alitzel Pinto. 

Structural Design: Ing. Julio Valencia. 

All images © Jorge Succar

All drawings © Fabián M Escalante H Arquitectos

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