Casa Candelaria, Located at San Miguel de Allende outskirts, Mexico, was conceived under the idea to return to the program of the Mexican haciendas and solve the house around courtyards which themselves contain an activity that represents the tension and the relationship between the functions of the volumes that surround it.
A key intention for the design development was the decision to use as constructive method rammed earth walls, with natural aggregates that allows the earth to become black toned, seeking the integration and mimicry with the environment where it was intended that the main element outside was the vegetation.
As for the benefits that the use of rammed earth gives us, is the thermal storage because of the thickness of 50cm, in a place of extreme weather, as San Miguel de Allende, it´s sought to achieve spaces that during the day could stay fresh and at night preserve the thermal gain they achieve during the day and radiate it into the interior, in order to create warm spaces. This strategy along with saving on the purchase and transfer of materials from distant places, make the construction time, cost and functional outcome to optimize in the best way possible.
Volumetrically the house solves each of the areas independently, creating blocks of black soil with predominance of solid and opening to the nature that surrounds the volumes through gaps that arise from floor to a 2.44m height where privacy and control of light is given by wooden blinds, revolving plates that generate an aperture and a total integration with the outdoor space.
Programmatically the project uproots in an area of 4 hectares and consists of a master house, the big house; another smaller houses, the guest house, a club house, the caretaker’s house and a jogging track 1km long that unites and represents all the project itself, giving way along its route activities, contemplation and transit between the volumes that make up the whole house.
The materials used in this project as key players are compacted soil walls, parota wood indoor and archaeological stone outdoor, accompanied lesser extent of concrete, blacksmithing and tile floors.
In short, this house responds to Mexican haciendas in contemporary time with an innovative and effective construction system.
2016
2018
The big house consists of 12 volumes that are organized around 2 large courtyards, dividing public and private areas of the house with 930sqm and 630sqm of outdoor areas between patios, terraces, pool and gardens and two interior corridors that weave the total volumes outwards.
Architect: Cherem Arquitectos
Architectural design: Abraham Cherem + Jose Antonio Aguilar
Design team: Daniel Huerta + Cristian Noriega
Consultants:
Construction: Cabrera y Asociados
Lighting design: Artec3
Landscape Design: Entorno
Photography: Enrique Macías
House C by Abraham Cherem in Mexico won the WA Award Cycle 34. Please find below the WA Award poster for this project.
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