departamento del distrito introduces ‘casa georgina’, composed of two apartment units built into the steep slope of the sierra de catorce mountains in mexico. the project sits within a walled garden that contains an existing house and builds upon a series of stone ruins, engaging them through a play of addition and subtraction.

casa georgina by departamento del distrito 1
all images by adriana hamui, courtesy of departamento del distrito

 

 

located in real de catorce, a historic silver mining town established in the late 1700’s, ‘casa georgina’ by departamento del distrito complies with strict building regulations that aim to maintain the site’s unique aesthetic character and architectural identity. in addition to height and sight-line restrictions, building mandates specify that all exterior walls be constructed with local stone, through a traditional building technique that is representative of the town.

casa georgina by departamento del distrito 2

 

in tandem with the schematic development of the project, these building regulations initiated immediate design considerations at detail scale. this included the repair, reinforcement, and extension of existing, solid stone walls on site, as well as the construction of new walls using a modified and more economical construction method that involves stone, cast concrete, and CMU blocks. the resulting project is one of mediation: between human agents (client, architect, government officials, and local population), form and landscape, existing site elements and future project, traditional building techniques, and contemporary construction methods.

casa georgina by departamento del distrito 3

 

three stepped walls organize the design scheme: wall one contains exterior circulation; wall two frames the interior living spaces; and wall three divides the project from the neighboring property. these walls protect interior spaces from intense direct sunlight from the east and west, and structure a collection of terraced volumes. roof patios open to the south and provide expansive views of the surrounding landscape

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casa georgina by departamento del distrito 8

casa georgina by departamento del distrito 9

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project info:

 

name: casa georgina
architecture office: departamento del distrito
location: sierra de catorce, san luis potosí, mexico
photography: adriana hamui

 

 

designboom has received this project from our ‘DIY submissions‘ feature, where we welcome our readers to submit their own work for publication. see more project submissions from our readers here.

 

edited by: myrto katsikopoulou | designboom