Guadalajara-based architect Moises Sánchez has created a stucco-clad, cube-shaped vacation residence shaded by a big tree in western Mexico.
The straightforward, 450-square foot (42-square metre) construction, generally known as Tonalli Home, was accomplished in 2023 in Jocotepec, Jalisco, minutes from Lake Chapala, the nation’s largest lake.
“The venture arises from the pursuit of a peaceable expertise, drawing inspiration from the rhythms and atmospheres of the favored structure in Mexican villages,” Sánchez informed Dezeen.
From the surface, the home is a stable white dice, punctuated with strategic openings.
Utilizing native development techniques, supplies and labor, the dice is shaped with brick partitions plastered with a mixture of sand and mortar to create two textures — a tough, stone-like base and a clean monolithic kind above.
Nevertheless, Sánchez prioritised the present panorama in his description of the venture.
“The true protagonist of the venture is a big tree and its relationship with the constructed surroundings,” Sánchez mentioned.
“Its roots create a pure vestibule, serving as the doorway to the quantity, the trunk and leaves act as a crowning characteristic within the views from the inside, whereas its kind and shade concurrently regulate the microclimate of the environment.”
Occupants step from the tree-formed vestibule right into a double-height lobby and lounge house.
Turning to the appropriate is a kitchen with multi-colored ceramic tiles crafted by artisans from Guadalajara “paying homage to conventional Mexican kitchens”.
Three small lights grasp above the peninsula creating an offset highlight impact within the house, which options unadorned, clean plaster partitions and grey-stone tile flooring.
The lavatory is tucked right into a nook off the kitchen.
Throughout from the entry, lit by a sq. window, is a staircase that leads as much as the sleeping loft, which is open to the lounge beneath.
“Upon reaching the higher ground, you might be greeted by a beam of sunshine penetrating the ceiling, making a dimly lit ambiance, on the different finish of the loft, a window opens to supply a direct view of the vegetation and the big backyard surrounding the villa,” Sánchez mentioned.
The restricted, impartial materials palette – attribute of the close by structure surrounding Lake Chapa – makes use of gentle washing alongside the surfaces and views of the tree outdoors because the ornamentation.
“Maybe probably the most symbolic is the connection established by the openings within the quantity,” he mentioned.
“These home windows create a hyperlink between the inside and exterior, possessing a tactile high quality that makes it appear as if each are touching.”
Within the temperate local weather, the villa depends on passive techniques for heating and cooling like cross-ventilation by means of the home windows and the skylight that acts as a chimney to expel sizzling air.
A photo voltaic heater gives sizzling water for the home.
“The success lies in its simplicity; the richness of the venture just isn’t the sum of its elements however an exponential multiplication of its virtues,” Sánchez mentioned.
“From it, we realized that reaching excellence would not essentially require an incredible effort however fairly discovering the appropriate options in the appropriate place.”
Additionally in Jalisco, COA Arquitectura constructed an “earth-toned” monolithic home punctuated by blocky types and triangular cutouts and Tatiana Bilbao constructed a rammed earth weekend home on the shores of Lake Chapala.
The images is by Ansatz / Fernando Sanchez.
