To capitalize the climatic and scenic forces of the countryside, we thought the main volume as a single sloping roof that could house interior and exterior habitable spaces. In Barragan’s San Cristobal stables we found the scheme that helped us exercise this idea, where the elongated eaves become an outdoor veranda that allows contact with nature and daily interactions. It is not uncommon to see in nearby traditional houses covered exterior spaces attached to the facades where it seems that time doesn’t pass by. These porches not only provide shelter but also have a significant social value that we are interested in rescuing.

The family asked for a kitchen-garden approach that could be integrated to the conception of the proposal. Stone planters freely arrayed throughout the plot allow crops to be grown separately and seasonally for household use, creating internal paths between them that provide another take on the internal nature. To support this kitchen-garden, a compact 2-story utilitarian volume was designed with a kitchen, storage rooms for crops and gardening tools, a working area for crop manipulation and additional sleeping quarters on the upper level.

The construction work is made simple with common foreman knowledge, using materials such as stone, bricks and concrete. Lime finishes in walls allow them to breathe and provide a true white coloring. The long sloping roof is finished with a mantle of clay roof bricks cut in halves and thirds arranged in patterns that reference the textiles of Ani Albers.