A new home for an old location

Architect: Espacio 18 ArquitecturaPhotography by Lorena DarqueaFrom the architect: Nacional 135 is a custom-built home located south of Oaxaca City, a picturesque World Heritage Site in Mexico.

The architectural program responds to the occupants’ various needs through a useful set of volumes that helped to solve each floor plan in a clearly manner. The schematic and functional diagrams are simple; just like branches, the several elements are distributed from two main axes: one horizontal and one vertical, separating them into private and semi-private spaces. The main room was designed with the loft concept in mind, setting it up for the future implementation of a personal library and studio.

The facades are the result of the activities harboured inside. Taking into account the use of clear and solid surfaces wherever is necessary, procuring views to the mountains on the back, generating crossed ventilations and taking advantage of the changing patterns created by the sunlight throughout the day helped us to the accomplishment of what we call a smart facade.

The perspective from the pedestrian entrance on the street creates a first impression of the volumes as a whole. Thanks to the dynamism and continuity of the spaces inside, the occupants can get around with ease.

The predominant materials used on the house are traditional handmade bricks and a special earthen plaster prepared on site. This kind of plaster dates back to the Postclassic period and was formerly used as a waterproofing method in convents and churches during the Spanish Conquest of Mexico. We were fortunate enough to have met a plasterer with the knowledge and techniques of this ancient formula made out of rotten lime, cactus juice and local ochre soil; creating a plaster that contrasts gracefully with the dark bricks of the double height main room.

In the end, the house achieves to insert itself into a typical suburban context as a new element that has been already adopted by the people in the area and taken as a reference on the Camino Nacional street.

Story by: Trends