net-zero retreat in mexico combines home, studio + off-grid bathhouse

RAIN HARVEST HOME BY robert hutchison architecture + JSa

Robert Hutchison Architecture + JSa have collaborated on Rain Harvest Home, an off-grid ensemble located in the mountains south of Valle Bravo, approximately two hours west of Mexico City. Situated in a nature reserve, the project combines a home, an architect’s studio and a bathhouse, all of which are designed to operate in tandem with the local climate. The net-zero retreat can operate off the grid through a solar PV array and an on-site water treatment and storage system, making the most out of the area’s wet and rainy summers and extremely dry winters. ‘the retreat offers a new model for utilizing and conserving water in a region and country where it is an increasingly precious resource,’ explain the two architecture studios (more JSa projects on designboom here).images by Cesar Bejar, Benedikt Fahlbusch, Alberto Kritzler, Laia Rius Solá, Jaime Navarro

courtesy of Robert Hutchison Architecture

ENSEMBLE COMBINING NET-ZERO HOME, detached bathhouse + studio

The net-zero retreat by Robert Hutchison Architecture (here) + JSa (here) is designed to operate in harmony with the surrounding nature and local climate. Strategically sited to provide views towards the Volcan Toluca Mountain, the project combines a home, a detached bathhouse and a studio. Conceived as a pavilion that allows for outdoor use year round, the residence rests on a raised concrete plinth clad with local recinto volcanic stone. This plinth acts as a platform for interior and exterior spaces, while a hovering planted roof is supported by a perimeter colonnade of steel columns.

A few steps away from the home lies the stand-alone bathhouse, which combines references from Louis Kahn’s Trenton Bath House and Bramante’s Tempietto in its design. The circular structure encloses four different bathing activities: hot bath, sauna, steam shower, and washroom. All rooms encircle a cold plunge pool at the center which is open to the sky. The ensemble is complete with a compact studio for an architect, which features an outdoor skyspace right above its breezeway entry. This double-height building is illuminated by a single, large, north-facing window that frames a view of Volcan Toluca Mountain to the north.