casa zirahuén by daniela bucio sistos reinterprets traditional mexican cabins

‘casa zirahuén’ is a holiday house located in a small town of michoacán state, mexico, called zirahuén. the main goal of the design developed by daniela bucio sistos was to recreate and reinterpret the mexican cabin, not only by retaking volumetric aspects but using vernacular constructive techniques. the interiors and façade walls are covered with the site’s clay soils named ‘charanda’ and ‘topure’. the arrangement of the stone in the masonry walls of casa zirahuén was inspired by the stone fences that delimit the land in the towns throughout the state.

the house is divided into four cabins — the largest contains the social program (living and dining room, the copper kitchen, a stairway to a lookout in the rooftop and a cellar area in its basement). the other three cabins house the private program, while all three of them are connected through hallways on the ground floor and small bridges in the attics. two of the private cabins have a basement floor with a lake view, a bar and a gym with jacuzzi.

the three cabins create a central courtyard, an important meeting point in the project. the decision to divide the program into different volumes is taken from the search to create interior/exterior walks throughout the site in any direction you take in casa zirahuén. one of the routes is the back passage of the private cabins, where the water fonts and rocks dialogue with the concrete roofs that fly to the limit of the masonry walls.

project info:

name: casa zirahuén

architects: daniela bucio sistos // taller de arquitectura y diseño

lead architect: daniela bucio sistos

collaborators: arq. edel hernández, arq. enrique melchor

location: zirahuén, michoacán, mexico

year: 2018

area: 745 sqm

photography: mariano rentería garnica