Nube House / NV/design architecture

Nube House / NV/design architecture - Interior Photography, Stairs, FacadeNube House / NV/design architecture - Interior Photography, Windows, BeamNube House / NV/design architecture - Exterior Photography, BeamNube House / NV/design architecture - Interior Photography, Facade, ChairNube House / NV/design architecture - More Images+ 17

Oaxaca de Juárez, Mexico
  • Area Area of this architecture project Area:  5382 ft²
  • Year Completion year of this architecture project Year:  2020
  • Photographs
    Photographs:Amy Bello
  • Manufacturers Brands with products used in this architecture project
    Manufacturers:  Vectorworks, Ceramica Globo, Coriat, Delta Faucet
Nube House / NV/design architecture - Exterior Photography, Beam, Facade
© Amy Bello

Text description provided by the architects. Located on a ridgeline of the Sierra Norte foothills above Oaxaca de Juarez, the site slopes down to the valley stretching eastward. From the upper floors of the house, the pre-Columbian sites of Monte Alban and Atzompa are visible atop neighboring hills. The house is organized on its 1,000 square meter site into three separate casitas of one, two, and three stories.

Nube House / NV/design architecture - Exterior Photography
© Amy Bello

The volumes step down the 10-meter slope of the site and form a loose open courtyard space facing the valley below. An open concrete stair stands between the two and three-story casitas and is capped with a screened glass canopy. The separate volumes relate in scale to the traditional small-scale regional houses and allow for independent movement during the frequent seismic activity. At the northern side of the site, adjacent to the only neighbor, is the three-story bedroom casita. 

Nube House / NV/design architecture - Exterior Photography, Beam
© Amy Bello

The central, two-story casita contains a kitchen and dining on the ground floor and a studio and library above. The third, single-story casita sits at the southeastern corner of the site and contains a double-height living space. The central courtyard steps down into a garden that circles the house. A black tiled pool defines the edge of the middle terrace.

Nube House / NV/design architecture - Interior Photography, Table, Windows, Beam
© Amy Bello
Nube House / NV/design architecture - Interior Photography, Table, Chair, Beam
© Amy Bello

The heavy steel frame of the house is tied to deep a series of concrete foundations tied to bedrock. The steel frame has infill walls of locally produced adobe blocks or steel and glass assemblies. Large expanses of adobe are reinforced internally with steel and concrete. All of the steel windows were constructed by hand on-site. Nopo wood ceilings, stained black, conceal electrical work.

Nube House / NV/design architecture - Interior Photography, Windows, Beam
© Amy Bello
Nube House / NV/design architecture - Interior Photography, Stairs, Handrail
© Amy Bello

Naturally finished nopo wood cabinetry and custom doors complete the interiors. Throughout the house, a series of clay screens, stained black, provide shade from the intense daylight, provide privacy, and provide a seductive veil to the views beyond. A pair of terraces, open and closed, activate the roofs of the two casitas at the stair.

Nube House / NV/design architecture - Interior Photography, Bathroom, Door
© Amy Bello
Nube House / NV/design architecture - Interior Photography
© Amy Bello

The loose organization of the house allows for constant cross ventilation which, combined with the massive adobe walls, maintains a cool interior temperature year-round. The house does not require heating or air conditioning systems. Water is harvested from the casita roofs during the daily rain of the wet months from May through September.

Nube House / NV/design architecture - Interior Photography, Facade, Chair
© Amy Bello
Nube House / NV/design architecture - Image 21 of 22
Plan - 2nd floor
Nube House / NV/design architecture - Exterior Photography, Facade
© Amy Bello

The water is stored in a cistern beneath the living room casita and is filtered for domestic use throughout the house. The roof area and cistern capacity are sized to address water needs through the dry season from October through April. All wastewater is handled on-site through a system of bio-digestors, completely separate from the city system. Water heating is created by solar hot water heaters.

Nube House / NV/design architecture - Exterior Photography, Waterfront
© Amy Bello

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About this office
Cite: "Nube House / NV/design architecture" [Casa Nube / NV/design architecture] 16 Nov 2021. ArchDaily. Accessed . <https://www.archdaily.com/971776/nube-house-nv-design-architecture> ISSN 0719-8884

© Amy Bello

阶梯状排列,Nube 之家 / NV/design architecture

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