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Architects: BRUTAL
- Year: 2022
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Photographs:Francisco Palacio
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Lead Architects: Andrea Carolina Meza Román, José Mascareño Ramos
Text description provided by the architects. Rancho Santa Martha is a Home that provides education to children from low-income backgrounds. Casa Estudiantes is the accommodation for them to continue their university studies. The architectural program is as follows: Women's room with bathroom, men's room with bathroom, living room, kitchen, dining room, caretaker's room with bathroom, laundry room, and parking. The building is located 13 meters above a secondary street and 16 meters above a primary street, with a 15-minute walk to the university, and close access to bus stops and grocery stores, making it an ideal location for the project's development.
The program included 4 bunk beds per room and a Queen bed for the caretaker's room, comfortably accommodating a maximum of 18 people. To avoid a feeling of overcrowding, all spaces were equipped with high ceilings. The rooms have independent terraces and garden areas that help maintain clean and fresh air. The main axis of the building is the stairs, connecting all spaces visually and functioning as passive ventilation, keeping the house cool.
One of the most important requirements was that the men's and women's rooms were not directly connected to avoid any incidents that could pose a risk to the young people and caretakers. The solution was two separate stairs located in the same space but in opposite directions. The women's staircase is located in front of the caretakers' room, and the men go up to the study area first and then to their room, connecting spaces and promoting interaction while ensuring everyone's safety.
We aimed for the highest economic and construction simplicity that would integrate into the project's concept. This was possible because it was built through donations. The walls are made of Adblock and common blocks covered with a rough plaster of the same color, aiming to require minimal maintenance and achieve a natural appearance. All plants are native or adapted to the local climate, requiring minimal watering and supporting local fauna. The interior floors are polished concrete, while the exterior ones are made of soil and gravel, allowing rainwater to permeate the ground and keeping the building cooler without solar reflections.
We paid close attention to the scale and urban impact of the building in terms of materials and colors. As the only three-story building in the area, we wanted it to integrate into its surroundings from the first day it was completed. This is why the construction is set back from the main avenue and only has solid perimeter fences where greater privacy is required. The rest is covered with mesh and vines, maintaining a visual scale for pedestrians crossing the sidewalks.
The facades are covered with different garden areas that emphasize the building's staggered design, beautify the interior views from the windows, and cover the walls, protecting them from the sun and adorning them with vines, shrubs, flowers, and regional agaves. All of this requires low maintenance and a watering system, giving the building different colors each season. We firmly believe that gardens are an essential part of architectural works, so they are anchored to the project's structure and the basis of how Casa Estudiantes is inhabited.
