santos bolivar suspends casa media perra over mexico's guadalupe landscape

studio santos bolívar completes the casa media perra on the same land as their media perra brewery in guadalupe, mexico. the site over which this house stands is characterized by a rugged, sloped topography with a large boulder projecting out of the earth. adaptation and connection to the landscape were important factors in the design process. josé antonio of santos bolívar recognized this boulder as having a sense of belonging to the site. the new home had to relate and interact with it.

all images by miguel angel mayoral rodriguez

a dialogue between nature and home is established by the boulder. mexico-based studio santos bolívar made use of this prominent landscape feature as both a foundation for the entrance stair as well as a structural element to the building as a whole, which projects out from the sloping land. in order to cut into the landscape as little as possible, the house is suspended above the slope, supported by wooden and steel columns. underneath, the ground level serves as an outdoor amphitheater for meetings and family events.

the programmatic needs of the client are fit within the 75 square meters of the house. these include a master bedroom, bathroom, walk-in closet, living room, kitchen, utility room and a mezzanine. the bedroom, living room and mezzanine are organized toward the exterior so as to offer the best views of the mexico landscape. santos bolívar prioritized natural materials to further respect the house’s surroundings. the wooden structure is left exposed while stacked hay is used as thermal insulation within the walls. the firm even applied a soil-based paint to add to the warmth of the home and emphasize the relationship with the landscape. led by josé antonio, the santos bolívar team includes roberto amaya alvarado, giancarlo reyes olgin, tayde chan ojeda, and jorge armando quevedo jordan.