Tesoro
Cuautitlan Izcalli, Mexico
Conceptual proposal, never built
2001
T.C. Prestadora de Servicios SA. de CV.
Partner (Alejandro Villarreal) and Co-workers ( Cecilia Ramírez Corzo )
148.00 sq m per house
The project consists of 120 low income houses, located in Cuautitlan Izcalli, on the north part of Mexico City.
The project is located on a 25,599.25 m2 irregular trapezoidal site, with a significant slope, where a central road circuit leads to the private roads of the complex. The subdivision and the design of the avenues were previously designed by an external office, hence the project is focused on the treatment of certain roads and on the design of a 148 built m2 sample house, within a regular 8×10 mt. plot, to be reproduced 120 times.
The project concept consists on customizing the homes typology with the prevailing natural environment of the place and its topography, using conceptual elements such as: an essential character, a simple and logical structural approach, a friendly contact with the surrounding environment, a sense of introspection and the use of natural and traditional materials.
In order to leave more space for the internal roads (9 meters wide), the main volume of the house was set at the back of each site, creating a 3-level construction. Thus, the plot´s first 5 front mt. were left free for private parking, here, a visual integration of such surface with the road and sidewalks was proposed in a way to make the road visually larger and create a wider open public space. This integration would be achieved by using the same material on both pavements and by avoiding any physical barrier between the elements.
In order to give each home the best orientation possible, achieve an optimum temperature throughout the whole year and provide the best views, it was thought to set them south-facing, opening the main spaces (dining room and bedrooms) in this direction (towards the front of the plot) and leaving the services on the north side (at the back). The house consists of two main volumes: the body that contains all living spaces and the stone body “dematerialized.” The first was designed emphasizing an optimum performance for the user´s activities and with keeping the idea of a simple and basic structural system. The second is designed to visually contain and provide privacy to the spaces of the first two levels and to give a natural green touch to the stone dryness with climbing plants.
The program of each house consists of the following:
Ground floor: access, living-dining room, patio, kitchen, restroom, cellar, laundry.
1st level: 2 bedrooms, 1 bathroom and hallway.
2nd level: master bedroom, private patio, 1 bathroom and hallway.
Roof: water and gas tanks area.
The design considers a separate courtyard for each living room which allows the following: to keep introspection and total privacy in each room, to expand spaces visually (by getting from a restricted built area an amplified spatial feeling), and a private outdoors-indoors connection for each of them. Thus, the ground floor has a patio communicated with the living-dining room area, the two rooms on the first floor have a “visual” patio that extend their own limits and the master bedroom on the top level has its own private patio.
The house is designed to grow and expand over time, giving the owner the option to expand it vertically according to future needs.
