LA BASÁLTICA
Querétaro, Mexico
1,000 SQM
2022
This house arises from observation and common sense. A couple with two young children showed us their land next to a park with a bike path around a beautiful lake. They wanted their children to be able to ride their bikes and enjoy the lake views. However, we noticed that all the neighboring houses, despite having large windows and integration with the park, were denying their purpose by exposing their private lives to passersby, forcing them to constantly lower their blinds.
From this reflection, we decided to design a house that would protect interior privacy without losing the valuable views. We opted to invert the order of the public-private program, placing all service areas, bedrooms, and family spaces on the ground floor, thus creating a base the size of the entire lot at park level. On the upper floor, we created a large garden with a pool for the children, surrounded by the social spaces of the house, which were placed on the perimeter to achieve visual privacy from the outside and connection with the public space outside; this also acts as a thermal buffer for the private program below, eliminating the need for air conditioning in a predominantly semi-desert region.
Simultaneously, design strategies such as cross ventilation for all upper public spaces, solar panels for heating water, solar energy generation, and water storage systems using a biodigester for rainwater and greywater, implemented for daily irrigation of the yard and green areas, contribute to its overall energy efficiency.
The choice of materials for the house was based on breaking away from the norm of the neighboring context, where all the houses are white. We opted to clad the house in basalt stone, a dark, durable, and resistant material that also reinforces the discourse of the work.
A unique feature of this home is the stone bar shutters that cover the entire front facing the park. These shutters allow regulated permeability to the outside from the bedrooms, and also offer the option of opening up, thus extending the rooms towards the park through an interstitial portico.
Photography:
Onnis Luque
Ariadna Polo
Interior Design:
Mavi González
LA BASÁLTICA
Querétaro, Mexico
1,000 SQM
2022
This house arises from observation and common sense. A couple with two young children showed us their plot next to a park with a bike path around a beautiful lake. They wanted their children to be able to ride bikes and enjoy the lake views. However, we noticed that all the neighboring houses, despite having large windows and integration with the park, were negating their purpose by exposing their private lives to passersby, forcing them to constantly lower their blinds.
From this reflection, we decided to design a house that would protect interior intimacy without losing the valuable views. We opted to invert the order of the public-private program, placing all service areas, bedrooms, and family spaces on the ground floor, thus creating a plinth the entire size of the plot at the park level. On the upper floor, we created a large garden with a pool for the children, surrounded by the social spaces of the house, which were located on the perimeter to achieve visual privacy from the outside and connection with the exterior public space; also acting as a thermal buffer for the private program below, which eliminates the need for air conditioning in a predominantly semi-desert region.
Simultaneously, design strategies such as cross ventilation for all upper public spaces, solar panels for water heating, solar power generation, and water storage systems through a biodigester for rainwater and graywater, implemented for the daily irrigation of the courtyard and green areas, contribute to its overall energy efficiency.
The choice of materials for the house was based on breaking with the norm of the neighborhood context, where all the houses are white. We opted to clad the house with Baltic stone, a dark, durable, and resistant material that also reinforces the architectural discourse of the work.
A unique feature of this residence is the stone bar louvers that cover the entire front facing the park. These louvers allow a regulated permeability towards the exterior from the bedrooms, and also offer the option to open up, thus extending the rooms towards the park through an interstitial portico.
Photography:
Onnis Luque
Ariadna Polo
Interior Design:
Mavi González
LA BASÁLTICA
Querétaro, Mexico
1,000 SQM
2022
This house arises from observation and common sense. A couple with two young children showed us their plot next to a park with a bike path around a beautiful lake. They wanted their children to be able to ride bikes and enjoy the lake views. However, we noticed that all the neighboring houses, despite having large windows and integration with the park, were negating their purpose by exposing their private lives to passersby, forcing them to constantly lower their blinds.
From this reflection, we decided to design a house that would protect interior intimacy without losing the valuable views. We opted to invert the order of the public-private program, placing all service areas, bedrooms, and family spaces on the ground floor, thus creating a plinth the entire size of the plot at the park level. On the upper floor, we created a large garden with a pool for the children, surrounded by the social spaces of the house, which were located on the perimeter to achieve visual privacy from the outside and connection with the exterior public space; also acting as a thermal buffer for the private program below, which eliminates the need for air conditioning in a predominantly semi-desert region.
Simultaneously, design strategies such as cross ventilation for all upper public spaces, solar panels for water heating, solar power generation, and water storage systems through a biodigester for rainwater and graywater, implemented for the daily irrigation of the courtyard and green areas, contribute to its overall energy efficiency.
The choice of materials for the house was based on breaking with the norm of the neighborhood context, where all the houses are white. We opted to clad the house with Baltic stone, a dark, durable, and resistant material that also reinforces the architectural discourse of the work.
A unique feature of this residence is the stone bar louvers that cover the entire front facing the park. These louvers allow a regulated permeability towards the exterior from the bedrooms, and also offer the option to open up, thus extending the rooms towards the park through an interstitial portico.
Photography:
Onnis Luque
Ariadna Polo
Interior Design:
Mavi González
PENDING
Photography:
Onnis Luque
Ariadna Polo
Interior Design:
Mavi González
This house arises from observation and common sense. A couple with two young children showed us their plot next to a park with a bike path around a beautiful lake. They wanted their children to be able to ride bikes and enjoy the lake views. However, we noticed that all the neighboring houses, despite having large windows and integration with the park, were negating their purpose by exposing their private lives to passersby, forcing them to constantly lower their blinds.
From this reflection, we decided to design a house that would protect interior intimacy without losing the valuable views. We opted to invert the order of the public-private program, placing all service areas, bedrooms, and family spaces on the ground floor, thus creating a plinth the entire size of the plot at the park level. On the upper floor, we created a large garden with a pool for the children, surrounded by the social spaces of the house, which were located on the perimeter to achieve visual privacy from the outside and connection with the exterior public space; also acting as a thermal buffer for the private program below, which eliminates the need for air conditioning in a predominantly semi-desert region.
Simultaneously, design strategies such as cross ventilation for all upper public spaces, solar panels for water heating, solar power generation, and water storage systems through a biodigester for rainwater and graywater, implemented for the daily irrigation of the courtyard and green areas, contribute to its overall energy efficiency.
The choice of materials for the house was based on breaking with the norm of the neighborhood context, where all the houses are white. We opted to clad the house with Baltic stone, a dark, durable, and resistant material that also reinforces the architectural discourse of the work.
A unique feature of this residence is the stone bar louvers that cover the entire front facing the park. These louvers allow a regulated permeability towards the exterior from the bedrooms, and also offer the option to open up, thus extending the rooms towards the park through an interstitial portico.
This house arises from observation and common sense. A couple with two young children showed us their plot next to a park with a bike path around a beautiful lake. They wanted their children to be able to ride bikes and enjoy the lake views. However, we noticed that all the neighboring houses, despite having large windows and integration with the park, were negating their purpose by exposing their private lives to passersby, forcing them to constantly lower their blinds.
From this reflection, we decided to design a house that would protect interior intimacy without losing the valuable views. We opted to invert the order of the public-private program, placing all service areas, bedrooms, and family spaces on the ground floor, thus creating a plinth the entire size of the plot at the park level. On the upper floor, we created a large garden with a pool for the children, surrounded by the social spaces of the house, which were located on the perimeter to achieve visual privacy from the outside and connection with the exterior public space; also acting as a thermal buffer for the private program below, which eliminates the need for air conditioning in a predominantly semi-desert region. Simultaneously, design strategies such as cross ventilation for all upper public spaces, solar panels for water heating, solar power generation, and water storage systems through a biodigester for rainwater and graywater, implemented for the daily irrigation of the courtyard and green areas, contribute to its overall energy efficiency.
The choice of materials for the house was based on breaking with the norm of the neighborhood context, where all the houses are white. We opted to clad the house with Baltic stone, a dark, durable, and resistant material that also reinforces the architectural discourse of the work.
A unique feature of this residence is the stone bar louvers that cover the entire front facing the park. These louvers allow a regulated permeability towards the exterior from the bedrooms, and also offer the option to open up, thus extending the rooms towards the park through an interstitial portico.
PENDING
Photography:
Onnis Luque
Ariadna Polo
Interior Design:
Mavi González
LA BASÁLTICA
Querétaro, Mexico
1,000 SQM
2022
LA BASÁLTICA
Querétaro, Mexico
1,000 SQM
2022
© 2026 REIMS 502
/
EN
ES
LA BASÁLTICA
Querétaro, Mexico
1,000 SQM
2022
This house arises from observation and common sense. A couple with two young children showed us their plot next to a park with a bike path around a beautiful lake. They wanted their children to be able to ride bikes and enjoy the lake views. However, we noticed that all the neighboring houses, despite having large windows and integration with the park, were negating their purpose by exposing their private lives to passersby, forcing them to constantly lower their blinds.
From this reflection, we decided to design a house that would protect interior intimacy without losing the valuable views. We opted to invert the order of the public-private program, placing all service areas, bedrooms, and family spaces on the ground floor, thus creating a plinth the entire size of the plot at the park level. On the upper floor, we created a large garden with a pool for the children, surrounded by the social spaces of the house, which were located on the perimeter to achieve visual privacy from the outside and connection with the exterior public space; also acting as a thermal buffer for the private program below, which eliminates the need for air conditioning in a predominantly semi-desert region.
Simultaneously, design strategies such as cross ventilation for all upper public spaces, solar panels for water heating, solar power generation, and water storage systems through a biodigester for rainwater and graywater, implemented for the daily irrigation of the courtyard and green areas, contribute to its overall energy efficiency.
The choice of materials for the house was based on breaking with the norm of the neighborhood context, where all the houses are white. We opted to clad the house with Baltic stone, a dark, durable, and resistant material that also reinforces the architectural discourse of the work.
A unique feature of this residence is the stone bar louvers that cover the entire front facing the park. These louvers allow a regulated permeability towards the exterior from the bedrooms, and also offer the option to open up, thus extending the rooms towards the park through an interstitial portico.
Photography:
Onnis Luque
Ariadna Polo
Interior Design:
Mavi González