Punta House in Mexico City: based on a slope and merged with the forest

Casa Punta is a residence located in the west of Mexico City. Its layout on the site was influenced by two factors, on the one hand, the natural slope of thirty percent, and on the other, its eastern view facing the ravine, a protected area. This is a project that blurs the lines that divide the house from the garden and the garden from the forest.

The development of the project takes advantage of the restrictions of the subdivision, side recesses of three meters and a rear restriction towards the federal zone of the ravine, to generate an entrance of natural light in each area and space of the house. At all times it was essential that, when intervening in a natural area, the spirit of the site was maintained through a respectful study of the orientations, sunlight, topography, flora and fauna.

To achieve the concept of a house nestled within nature, it was necessary to understand the broad set of requirements to order it, and that the different levels of privacy and function would remain clear throughout the project. Once this was resolved, two strategies were implemented to reinforce the concept: first, a fragmentation of the built mass and, second, the immersion of this mass in the landscape. The result is that the materiality follows the strategies derived from the concept in such a way that both public and private areas are distinguished by having a different materiality: steel plus zinc for the private areas and concrete and stone for the common areas. Each level is distinguished by its materiality and exterior structuring.

The architectural program consists of a parking lot for six cars, service areas, kitchen, breakfast nook, dining room, family room, study-library, acoustic room, gym, cinema, multipurpose room, four bedrooms—each with a walk-in closet—, bathroom, terrace, and garden. The outdoor program includes a swimming pool, outdoor living room and grill. The bedrooms occupy the upper level and from here, the program is distributed in a descent to mirror the slope of the terrain. As the house descends, it becomes rooted to the site and produces the best views.

The bedrooms are distributed along the floor plan by means of three independent pavilions that are connected by a wide and luminous corridor, and that simultaneously rest on the volume that houses the public area. Each volume is a rectangular prism with a gabled roof; their height offers greater freshness, and the angles are used to reflect and attenuate the light. Each structure was formed from steel and lined with zinc, while its interior features oak, a materiality that recalls the lush ravine that surrounds the residence. This criterion of the upper level, with oak-lined interiors, is followed throughout the house, while certain rooms are accented with lacquer, nuanced marble or stucco.

The public area consists of a reinforced concrete slab with an brushed concrete finish. The large spans required were produced by means of a ribbed slab.

All the spaces of the house are connected in at least two of their endpoints with the exterior. The scale and proportions of this house are bordered by the landscape and the boundaries between inside and outside begin to disappear. Even all the bedrooms, located on the upper floor, are connected through landscaped terraces. It is possible to walk through the entire house on the outside, through different platforms and levels that are accessed by staircases made of large slabs. The large olive trees in the entrance plaza compel those who walk through it to alter their path.

The vegetation mixes endemic species and blurs the boundaries between the ravine and the garden; the latter contains specimens selected in close consultation with the client: olive trees, plum trees, guava trees and lavender. The volumes sprout from the nature that surrounds them. In the words of the landscape designer, Pedro Reyes, you feel "as though you were in the countryside." It has also created a refuge for pollinating species (butterflies, hummingbirds, bees).

Below the public area and in the middle of the lateral and frontal lunges is the service area, which is the last piece. This is lined with volcanic stone, which in turn envelops the foundation that joins it to the ground.

In order to minimize the carbon footprint and meet its commitment to the planet, a series of passive and active technologies were used. A careful study of sunlight, wind and orientation allows for cross ventilation in all spaces. Thermal insulation was also implemented to minimize heat gain or loss in walls and roofs. In addition, photovoltaic panels are integrated into the zinc roofs and provide a large part of the power consumption. Finally, the space required to accommodate the foundations and structure of the house is used to house the treated and potable water cisterns that, together with the treatment plants, can run autonomously for six months.