Taller Segovia Molina uses the search for privacy as the design conceptual axis. From the outside, the house is perceived as a closed volume with high walls, and its spaces are only open to its interior landscapes with different types of wild gardens. This constant search for privacy creates a set of dual spaces, thanks to visual and sensorial changes, where the spaces begin being small and then open up to larger and brighter spaces.
The house includes a constant play of scales and volumes with a direct relationship with the vegetation on all floors, both in its internal patios and on the roof, a succession of wild gardens, which attract insects and birds. The hermetic structure of the house allows you to enjoy the flora from the inside, creating a calm and intimate environment. The roof garden becomes another landscape, maintaining a welcoming atmosphere, surrounded by plants and insects.
Casa Aguilar by Taller Segovia Molina. Photograph by Zaickz Moz.
Project description by Taller Segovia Molina
Casa Aguilar emerges with the idea of creating an interior oasis where a family can experience introspection and contemplation while inhabiting their home. This intention is reflected in its architecture through an envelope of thick walls that acts as a second skin, protecting from views towards a densely planned area. Inside, natural light filters through patios on each of the three levels, creating a serene and intimate atmosphere.
From the exterior, the house is perceived as a closed volume with high walls that seem to float above the ground. The open floor allows for the integration of a succession of wild gardens, aimed at attracting pollinating insects and endemic birds. With an almost hermetic structure, the house opens only towards its internal landscapes, allowing its flora and fauna to be enjoyed and heard from the inside. This creates a peaceful, serene and private environment for its inhabitants.
The organization of the house is based on open spaces, each with its own character. On the ground floor, these spaces guide the journey from the main entrance to the social area. The kitchen and dining room open to a rear patio that floods the double-height interior with light. The texture of the walls is balanced with the warmth of the light-toned carpentry.
The pursuit of intimacy, as the central axis of the project, gave rise to a spatial sequence that provokes visual and sensory changes when moving from a closed space to an open one, and vice versa. This duality is experienced throughout the three levels of the house, where each area begins with a dark and reduced space, for it to then reveal a wide and luminous environment with views towards the exterior. The daily experience is enriched by the integration of vegetation, wind, rain, and the sky in these spaces, which frame each area of the house.
The private and semi-public areas include, in addition to the south-facing rooms, a home office and a ceramics workshop, both oriented northward with large windows. The ceramics workshop, a completely open space, connects to a terrace that transitions from the domestic scale of the interior to a double height. On the top level, the home office is also linked to a smaller terrace, and receives indirect light, creating a comfortable atmosphere.
The pursuit of contemplation and awe culminates in the design of the rooftop, where the last garden is located. This space, immersed in the vegetal landscape, is intended for meditation and maintains a cozy and sheltering atmosphere, surrounded by plants and insects that inhabit it.
An important aspect was maximizing the permeable area, achieving 80% thanks to the design of terraces and gardens. Additionally, the goal was to provide the public areas with double height, respecting the maximum allowed limit of 10.5 meters. This objective was achieved by burying part of the ground floor after soil analysis.
Casa Aguilar offers monumental spaces while maintaining a human scale. Its design plays with closed and open spaces, providing an enriching experience and a continuous connection with its natural surroundings. The strategic placement of windows not only facilitates the full opening of the house, but also ensures optimal thermal comfort by taking advantage of the orientation and interaction with the exterior. These dualities make the residence a serene refuge from which to enjoy the Querétaro sunset.
