Casa Candelaria by Cherem Arquitectos
Located in Mexico, this concrete hacienda has been designed in 2018 by Cherem Arquitectos.
Description
Casa Candelaria was conceived under the concept of Mexican haciendas, solving the house around courtyards.
A key intention for the design development was the decision to use as constructive method rammed earth walls, with natural mineral aggregates that allows 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 gainance 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, optimized the construction time, cost and functional outcome 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 shutters, 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 main house and the guest house; adding to the program, an organic nursery with an authentic Troje (an agricultural structure used to keep grains on the mexican haciendas), an open amphitheatre, a jogging track 1km long, giving way along its route activities, and a caretaker’s house.
The main house consists of 12 volumes that are organized around 2 large courtyards, dividing public spaces (access, kitchen, dining room, living room, family and services) and private areas (4 bedrooms) of the house with a total of 1,500 sqm including two corridors that weave all the volumes throughout the project.
Photography courtesy of Cherem Arquitectos
- by Matt Watts
