Biophilic travels: a respectful retreat nestled in the landscape
Respecting nature and celebrating local specificities are guiding principles of a biophilic approach to design.
In this episode of Biophilic Travels, a house that aims at being a comfortable retreat for people as well as a respectful integration to the landscape…
All-year outdoor life
Rain Harvest Home encourages outdoor time through design.
The house is raised on a platform where interiors and outdoor spaces flow seamlessly. Only a third of the total surface is indoor space; the rest is covered outdoor space that runs along all sides of the building. The indoor-outdoor layout is an invitation to enjoy the mild local climate all year round, be exposed to nature’s cycles, and observe changing weather conditions from a sheltered place.
Comforting and connected
The interior receives abundant natural light through ceiling skylights and full-height windows that disappear when open, blurring the lines between indoors and outdoors. Materials echo each other, restating the feeling of one cohesive indoor-outdoor space. The house is at the same time an intimate alcove and a vantage point to admire the surroundings. An introspective space that doesn’t forget its belonging to place.
In the words of the architects, this home is a cabane that embodies ”the human dimension of the home: you go to sleep in small-scale, comfortable and inviting spaces. Then, the home opens up, allowing you to enjoy the surroundings.” Cit. Javier Sánchez - JSa Arquitectura
Respectful connection with place
Materials give soul and authenticity to the design, in a combination of local stone, warm-toned wood for the interiors and black-tinted wood for the outdoor cladding – a choice that is motivated by the willingness to blend seamlessly and respectfully with the landscape. In the words of the architects: “black tinted wood helps homes retreat in themselves to then take root in the landscape.” Cit. Javier Sánchez - JSa Arquitectura
Rain Harvest Home is located in the middle of a Mexican natural reserve. Respecting the delicate surroundings, the building is entirely off-the-grid, powered by solar panels, and wise in its use of water – an increasingly scarse resource. A considerate approach that doubles as a feature, shaping a water-based experience for guests. Rainwater is collected and treated on-site to serve all domestic needs. Besides, a round bathhouse offers four different activities – hot bath, sauna, steam shower, washroom – for people to connect with the water element.
As a whole, this project is directed to people as much as it is directed to nature. It is a comfortable retreat that rediscovers a slow-paced lifestyle, a designed space that’s exposed to nature and aware of its dependence on natural resources, a building that respects its surroundings by disguising itself in the vegetation and integrating into the local climate with care and consideration.
This same attention to how people, nature, and design interact threads through A Biophilic Year and the studio’s work. Continues monthly in anooi’s newsletter.