Text description provided by the architects. The project departs from two main elements: the site and its users. The construction is located in an old colony inside Guadalajara where irregular landscapes among different levels ocurre to form small canyons which dominate the area. The ground has a rectangular form where the street is located in front and a canyon is located towards the back where a huge tree is placed one level below the street. The house was designed to achieve two main uses: a studio and a home; it was very carefully planned as the users have Japanese roots so its customs were considered and respected.

The studio is located above the garage, and is characterized by a very generous space between flooring; the other volume (in white color) refers to the house distributed in two levels where the social area, located below, embraces a double height terrace and allows to receive shelter from the great tree that already existed in the site; bedrooms are located on the second floor connected to the studio mezzanine by a small hallway.

Ground Floor Plan

The concept is divided into three factors: the structure of the building, its function, and its form. The function must independently respond to the circulation of the spaces which in turn are connected by two gen kan (Japanese traditional entry area); one located inside the garage and the other one by the street level to receive all the visitors leading to a neutral element covered by wood and vinculated to the central inner yard that coexists with all the activities of the house.

The structure was forged respecting a base beam “H” of 35×35 which assembles the boxes and allows big open spaces to ocurre for both volumes (black and white) covered by a corrugated sheet.

© Carlos Diaz Corona / Fernanda Leonel

• Architects

  Hernandez Silva Arquitectos

• Location

  Guadalajara, Mexico

• Category

  Houses

• Design Team

  Edgar Manuel Soltero Ramirez, Fernanda Castiello, Karen Centeno Avila, Pastora Camarena

• Area

  768.0 m2

• Project Year

  2017

• Photographs

  Carlos Diaz Corona / Fernanda Leonel