well-lit central patio blurs the boundaries within 'nuestro sueño' house in mexico

espacio 18 arquitectura designed a residence for a retired couple who decided to fulfill their long life dream of living in oaxaca, mexico, their ultimate destination. elizabeth and ray found a 300sqm land in a small town named san sebastián tutla, to build their new house. ‘nuestro sueño’ is a clay-clad box that contains coherent concrete structures highlighting the kitchen and central patio as the heart of the house, fading away the barrier between inside and outside. all images courtesy of onnis luque

adopting new typologies and materials, espacio 18 arquitectura sought to show the couple a new culture in an entirely different society, in contrast to their previous peaceful neighborhood. as elizabeth and ray are two outgoing social people, their house was designed to be evolutive, changeable, and full of life. taking its cues from the design layout of an old colonial oaxacan house, ‘nuestro sueño’ marks and distributes the program, indicating that the soul of the house is the kitchen and central patio.

folding steel bay windows transform the space and blur the boundaries of inside and outside allowing a seamless transition between the rooms. while building this residence, the architects had to take into account different considerations, corresponding to the client’s interests; for example a vegetable patch, sewing shop, woodshop,  gallery, and cinema. this dwelling was made with wide and adaptable spaces, so future accommodations can be included to meet the inhabitants’ and visitors’ needs.

the idea in the master bedroom was to wake up to the sunrise and start living in all its spaces observing the trace of time. its core halls lead users to the rooftop, with sweeping views opening towards sierra madre sur. incorporating nature into its interior, the architects created a welcoming-life space, generating a well-lit living environment where intimacy is still maintained.

‘we had the privilege of truly observe this house through all of the seasons, during the construction process and once it was finished, every view was different, a brick clock in the central patio and the lightning through the concrete beams showed completely different perspectives every time.’ notes the studio.

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project info:

name: nuestro sueño

architects: espacio 18 arquitectura

design team: mario avila, carla osorio, sonia morales, andrea rodriguez

engineer: LM estructuras

location: oaxaca, mexico

photography: onnis luque

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: christina petridou | designboom