Casa San Juan

A house for a large family on the outskirts of Malinalco, a town aproximately two hours outside Mexico City. The plot of land is an irregular shape that slopes down to the south east and is bordered to the north by a stream with views of the surrounding hills and mountains to the east, north and west. A large Flamboyana tree sits on the bank of the stream, providing a key focal point on the site.

The house is organised in three principal parts; the main house with master and guest suites that is connected to the kitchen and the living areas at the centre of the plot; a series of smaller, semi-independant cabins organised around an aromatic courtyard garden to the north for the children and grandchildren; and a swimming pool, tennis court, games room, barbeque and terrace to the south. These different elements serve to frame a series of gardens and natural open spaces between the different volumes. The accomodation to the north of the site is intended to allow a degree of independance for each family, with two bedrooms, bathrooms and a kitchen and TV room included whilst their location away from the main house, maintains a more domestic scale for this element when it is only used by one or two couples. Living spaces are extended into the garden through the use of pergolas, colonnades and terraces and planting is used to create a series of shaded exterior spaces.