Secret Guest House, Chimalistac residnetial building, Modern Mexican home photos
El Secreto México : Chimalistac House
El Secreto Chimalistac design by Pascal Arquitectos
post updated 18 August 2024
Design: Pascal Arquitectos
Secret Guest House
Narrativo – Memory
11 Jul 2011
El Secreto México
El Secreto is a contemporary family house in a residential classified historic colonial zone of Chimalistac in Mexico City. It is a house made to order for a client, which is often more complex than developing a large building. The result depends on two factors: a good architect, but rather more importantly a good client.
The context in which the house is inserted has an historic colonial character untouched by the unorganized sprawl that has occurred elsewhere. The fact of intervening in a historic area entries (INAH) raises the dilemma of adapting or blending into the context, but by ideology could not talk about the present and future with the language of the past.
Fact generated some discussion with the INAH (National Institute of Anthropology and History) http://www.inah.gob.mx/ because their vision is to recreate the past even if this results in a pastiche, and finally and where the interaction between the inside and outside occurs our goal was to achieve the neutrality that would make the transition from the historical to the modernity of the interior.
The fashionable and politically correct slogan nowadays is that everything must be sustainable over yet despite the good wishes and intentions, and after several runs to determine the relationships financial cost benefit, the only we could manage to improve was in energy saving light bulbs and intelligent control systems and sensors linked to timer and more efficient irrigation systems.
The most important was the use of intelligent design to make the house better in comfort and climate, and the building design process in which no processing or transformation of materials such as stone, wood etc.was done, a system based on just in time logistics and a change in how the jobsite is managed, with prefabrication and the inclusion of pre-finished items.
As part of the architectonic discourse and for reasons of durability and maintenance very few finishings were used, being concrete one of the most notable of the house for its ability that does not age and decay, and the fact it acquires more dignity and history with time.
One of the main objectives was to achieve the most natural light and views to the garden, and not to create a series of closed rooms but a series of spaces where the events happen and articulate wit one another. It is important to note that the entire house is designed in modules and multiples of feet and then generating different size of overlapping rectangles, that became the generating pattern of the geometric theme of the house.
Descriptive Memory
House built in two levels, free area occupied by the garage, a courtyard with reflecting pool and the garden (724.71 m2.)
Ground Floor, 362.44 m2 covered entrance hall, inner hall, double height library, 2 guest bathrooms, double height Interior Patio, Living room with fireplace, dining room, breakfast area and kitchen with Pantry and utility room. Includes room covered terraces, breakfast area and kitchen and a barbecue pit.
Upper level, 261.98 m2, Lobby, TV Room, Master Bedroom with bathroom and dressing room, gym, two secondary bedrooms with bathroom and dressing room each and an outdoor terrace garden. Guest bedroom with bathroom separated from the rest of the bedrooms also on this level.
Structure-based construction of concrete with rebar, apparent concrete walls, red brick and use of structural steel elements.
The exterior walls finishes and some interior ones are Galarza stone , plaster and paint the ceiling as in the use of marble bathrooms Sto. Tomas and cast with vinyl and enamel paints in wet areas.
Chiseled exterior concrete floors and marble Sto. Tomas in various sizes as designed river boulders dropped into water body and the side garden walkway. Engineered walnut flooring and carpet in dressing rooms. Windows in anodized aluminum and clear glass, iron railings and gates, garage doors and access in iron and wood.
Fixed furniture in the Library, double-height ceiling lamp, toilets, closets, dressers and cupboards and doors and baseboards are made of walnut. Main stairs and visits room, based on elements of steel and wood tracks.
El Secreto Chimalistac – Building Information
Architecture, Interiors, Landscape, Lighting, MobilAire & Construction: Pascal Arquitectos
Design: Carlos and Gerard Pascal
Location: Chimalistac, Mexico DF.
Land area: 1,249.90 sqm
Floor area: 624.42 sqm
Date: 2009-11
Chimalistac House architect : Pascal Arquitectos
Chimalistac Building images / information from Pascal Arquitectos
Location: Chimalistac, México, North America
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