La Colina 17
The house is located in a residential complex in San Miguel de Allende, Guanajuato. The concept and main focus was aimed to create an architectural project in which the main user would navigate mainly just one level, giving priority to the common areas, terraces and garden views.
The project´s composition is determined by the natural slope of the land (9m), which was kept as it was, and the building divided into 3 levels determined by the original topography.
At the top level (NPT +-0.00m) there is the car access and service area.
The next floor down was built right on the slope´s mid-level (NPT -4.5m), here we have the main bedroom, kitchen, dining and living room, half a bathroom, terrace and pool.
The last and bottom level (NPT -7.5m) has two guest bedrooms, a private terrace and the pool´s changing room and bathroom.
The structural materials are mixed; steel elements were used to allow the common areas (kitchen, dining and living room) to open widely into the main terrace. Masonry walls using endemic stone from the area were incorporated into the design in order to compliment the landscape, and the concrete on the bare walls was pigmented to emulate the colours of its natural surroundings.
The architectural design´s aim was to integrate the building with its desertic natural context, while at the same time the landscape and garden design created a microclimate with the use of carefully chosen species and a thorough watering system. This dramatic contrast gives an overall effect of an oasis.
Architectural design: Manuel Peredo, Juan Carlos de la Riva, Mariano Maldonado, Luis Carbonell.
Landscape design: Polen Diseño Vivo
Photography: Camila Cossío and Jerónimo Villar Uribe
