gabriela carrillo's 'casa piedra' lightly hovers over cliffside boulders

casa piedra: a house of stone

In Acapulco De Juárez, Mexico, this Casa Piedra ‘Stone House’ by Taller Gabriela Carrillo takes its name from its unique integration with the rocky landscape. The dwelling is located atop a deposit of granite rocks, the one thousand square-meter plot perched one hundred meters above sea level. Thus, the design of the house is largely informed by the challenging characteristics of its site.

images © Rafael Gamo | @rafaelgamo

embracing a challenging site

The architects at Taller Gabriela Carrillo describe the spirit of the Casa Piedra, and the two main goals of the design: ‘In the first place, we had to preserve as much as possible the rocky spirit, an immense sea of stones, mainly two enormous pieces more than two meters in diameter in the center of the terrain.

‘The second challenge was to dilute the scale of the house in the topography with more than seventeen meters of difference in level from the lowest point; looking for the balance point where the sea peeked out, the wind flowed and the existing rock in the heart of the project would slide under the porch-house to disappear the limits between the natural terrain and human interventions.’

the team overlays the rocky terrain with a simple grid

Unfolding from the stone ground, Casa Piedra is designed by Taller Gabriela Corrillo to fit carefully into its topography. Designing the house, the architects overlay a simple, regular grid atop the rugged plot. This process results in unexpected moments of complexity where the rational order encounters the large stones, existing trees, and dramatic slopes. Meanwhile, the team ensures that while the site’s boulders are preserved, the design prioritizes wide open social areas and reserves fully enclosed spaces for necessary functions.

a structural solution by Taller Gabriela Carrillo

The structural logic of the Casa Piedra is characterized by an array of portico covers, which at times hover just a few centimeters above the existing boulders on site. The main semi-enclosed living space is sheltered by a two solid slabs with a thickness of twenty centimeters. Spanning over twelve meters, this element is ultimately supported by a row of slender posts. The goal of this strategy is to ensure a wide, uninterrupted frame overlooking the jungle and ocean beyond.

The group elaborates: ‘This action is possible thanks to the vierendeel beam work done by the last two slabs and the dividing walls of the rooms, which at the same time allow the south and north facades to be completely freed of any load-bearing element; thus seeking the crosswind in all spaces to avoid the use of artificial systems, as well as promoting natural light and ventilation of any service.’