El Mimbre
Year
Location
Status
Co-authors
Area
2021
Allende, NL, México
Under construction
Adrián Flores, Carolina Segura, David de la Garza
18,700 m2
In a nearby town to the city of Monterrey, near a public park along a river, this project is meant to function as a weekend house and gathering place for traditional barbeques that are typical of northern Mexico. The program is divided into two areas: one private, towards the east, and a public one towards the west. The different volumes divide the site into more friendly scales and configure a series of patios, each with its own character.
The weekend house follows a traditional hacienda configuration with social spaces opening up to the main garden. The garden is walled-off in order to create an hortus conclusus within the larger site. The wall opposite the social wing also underlines the views towards the nearby mountains.
The “palapa”, an area designated for social gatherings and traditional barbeques, is under construction. One of its volumes is a two-story stone building that houses an outdoor kitchen, bathrooms and storage space in the lower level. Going up a flight of stairs the user is conducted to a walled-off open-air room with views towards the sky. The room is semi-covered with a truncated pyramid structure clad with a blue cloth traditionally found in markets. During the day the opening allows views to the sky and at night it is intended to be used for naked-eye star gazing.
The second volume is fashioned in a palafito manner; with its main level raised on pilotis corresponding to the level of the stone volume which rests on the highest point in the site. The deck serves as a unique vantage point, with views towards the surrounding landscape and a planted grove. The entire volume is made up of charred wood. Tension emerges from the juxtaposition of the two volumes. One is heavy and comes from the earth while the other is lightweight and is lifted from it.