Casa Ataulfo

Ataúlfo House is a project located at the city of Tuxtla Gutiérrez in Chiapas, México. The main purpose in the design of this architectural statement, extending over the property in the form of a cross, was to create a visual and auditory refuge from the street, while avoiding the solar radiation from the south. At the same time, the formation of each quadrant defines a specific area, whether public, private, service-related, or transitional.

The project development required a fundamental translation of the customs and traditions of its users; this gave rise to the need for an entrance with an open corridor, which became the main feature. It also required a versatile carport that would not draw attention, leading to a wooden enclosure. This quadrant also houses the storage area, the machinery room, the service and laundry area.

It must be say that this house, with a massive and pure composition, preserves all the traditional outdoor spaces present in Chiapas' Indigenous communities: the terraces, the patios and the larges outdoor hallways; spaces that function as natural air ducts that counter the highest temperatures of the region, also illuminate efficiently, leaving out mechanical systems of ventilation and illumination.

Inside the residence, at the ground floor, the focal point consists of a double-height expanse soaring above the living room, kitchen and dining area; this is where everything happens and can be seen. At the first level, there are located a TV room and the private spaces: the main room with a terrace and a guest room.

To the south, the house maintains visual contact with the corridor, the first garden and the entrance, while the north boasts a view of the city of Tuxtla Gutiérrez and the Cañón del Sumidero.

The combination of bays and masonry, in alternating positions, projects a variety of perceptions between light and shadow within the residence. The house is sober and quiet, while the natural light moves, in measured steps, through each space. The principal materials are the gray concrete, the wood, the glass, and the vegetation.

This is a house in which each space maintains contact with the outdoor landscapes that have been created. Here, where the plastic synergy between steel and concrete contrast with the intimacy of a home filled with deeply-rooted traditions, in which the wood fulfills this dual function of amenity and warmth.