This project presented a high level of complexity: the family house was to be located on a site that is over two and a half acres of rough terrain with large topographical variations. This suburban site is very steep but with a beautiful panoramic view of downtown Monterrey. The client wanted us to design a single story house with a radical division between public and private spaces which would also be energy efficient.
The site reminded us of Julius Schulman’s pictures of 1950’s modernist houses. This reference was a starting point and an inspiration to begin our design, bead a pentagon module, as a design parameter, which derived from a spatial diagram and the topography.
Each area of the program is enclosed within a pentagon and each pentagon arranged to fit within the topography. Each geometric form is slightly adjusted to allow for free transit and space continuity, follow the slope, and enhance the views.
The public spaces of the house are mounted over a flatter topographic area where me managed to create a large space with free circulation while the private areas are nestled in a step-like fashion within the slope. A spiral staircase links both areas allowing for a flowing circulation starting at the main access and continuing all around the house in a free and interrupted manner, rendering the house simultaneously dynamic and legible.
The materials were determined by the structural and climatic needs of the site. Thus, we decided to use concrete in its most apparent and natural form, creating a sense of belonging to the location. The house builds up like another protruding cliff or like a fractal from the same slope.
We didn’t build a house over the hillside, we built a house, which grew organically on the hill and became part of the composition of the natural environment.
Ventura House is more than a house, it is a lab of architectonic experiences with only one intention: to foster a pleasant, joyful, and dynamic family life.
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Principal: Tatiana Bilbao
Partners: David Vaner, Catia Bilbao
Project Manager: Thorsten Englert. Design team: Enrique Salazar Vanessa Guckel, Marco Robles. Construction Manager: Guido Ebbert. Construction Team: José Amozurrutia. Model Team Manager: Isaac Monterrosa. Model Team: Victor Castañeda, Veronica Nazar, Eliana Lopez, Ángela Silva, Patricia Morales
Contractor: PARALELO – Silvia Chabrand, Arturo Barbosa
Landscape: TOA, Taller de Operaciones Ambientales
Structural: IESSA S.A. de C.V. – Javier Ribe
Electric Engineering: Wiredhouse, LUZ Kai Diederichsen
Sanitary Installations: Ticsa
3D models and renders: ar3D – Miguel Ángel Flores
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