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• SKETCHES
• Inspiraciones
• PLANOS
• MAQUETAS
• PROCESO CONSTRUCTIVO
• Fotografía (Fernando Cordero)
• Fotografía (Alejandro Villarreal)
• ENTREVISTA CON BUILDING CONNEXIONS

Extractos de una entrevista entre Catherine Swaniker, fundadora de Building Connexions (www.buildingconnexions.com) y Alejandro Villarreal

BCx: First impressions of Valle de Bravo are of a historic town with contemporary cosmopolitan values. It appears its very quality of being located along a lake, albeit a man-made lake dominates the whole atmosphere, even its architecture. In the case of Valle, there is a strong physical context. The reason why it stands out as quite beautiful is the obvious connection to its historical past. The legacy given to it by its original architecture and layout maintains its spirit. What ideas, whether in contextual fabric or spirit did you draw from this place?
AV: When you are confronted as an architect with such a beautiful and restricted context, what do you do? I belive that first, you need to respect it and fell in love with it, which in this case  was really easy. And from such respect try to handle the physical aspects of the project with care (most of this aspects were given to us as restrictions by the local authority: the materials involved, the heights, the relationship with other buildings, the general layout, sizes of doors and windows, etc). And from such care of the physical aspects try to find the spirit and aspirations of the place, and bring them to a next stage of evolution with your proposal; where the new structure respectfuly talks about the past, is firmly rooted in the present and gives a sense of direction for the future.

Maybe that´s why this project constantly tries to be physically anchored to the ground and at the same time tries to fly away in the sky. It is rooted and liberated at the same time. You can see that in how the outer volumetry is solved. 

BCx: To what degree did Valle help you to ‘locate’ your project in this place and how might it differ in other historic towns?
AV: Valle was the starting and the ending point for this project, we needed to fit in and at the same time say something new. I don´t know exactly how will it differ in another historic town, but if you take a look at the regulations summary we made, you will see there would be substantial differences.

BCx: How is Santa Maria connected to this site? What are the main spatial configurations that result in the composition of Santa Maria?
AV: The immediate connection was made by trying to respond to topography, to existing trees, to views, to the specific height of our neighbouring buildings, to the width of the streets, etc. But a more conceptual connection was made by incorporating a flavour of the natural landscape surrounding Valle, by making long trenches along the sidewalks and filling them with natural river stones and plants.

The main spatial configurations consist of placing volumes all along the two streets (which is a regulation), so that there is a continuum all along the streets of downtown Valle. Then we placed the houses in L shape, so that they could take advantage of orientation and views. The private spaces are in the lower floor, while the public space is in the upper floor. That was made because in Valle the public area is the most used area of the house, and we wanted to have good height and views. We were careful so that every house could enjoy privacy and at the same time could open itself up to the public areas. Then we have a self contained corridor all along the houses which serves as a buffer between the houses and the main patio, which is an open/contained space, that serves for public gathering and include a jacuzzi, pools, a space for making a fire (like in the woods) and a small garden. We have a second patio which serves as a reception and parking space. Finally, at the end of the houses there is a small yoga studio, with a massage chamber and a private patio.

BCx: Was it your intention to make it look like one structure?
AV: The subconscious intention was to solve the different entities in the project in their own particular way, and then unify them with a single gesture. This gesture is mainly given by the natural river stone that runs throughout all the project. I don´t know which has more predominance, the entities or the gesture, maybe they sit in a quiet balance.

BCx: Let’s talk about materials used for the project? Did you find materiality was provoked by the context?
AV: I think in most of our projects, materiality is greatly influenced by the context, but also we try to influence context with our materiality.

In this particular case, the starting point was a regulation that considers that all the exterior walls should have a white plaster finish. So having such a neutral and beautiful starting point, we decided to combine it with just to more materials: stone and wood. So all around the project, in the exterior areas and in the interior ones, there is only white plaster walls, natural wood and grey stone.

It was really important for us that such materials were completely natural, because we wanted that the people using the building could have this natural, non urban experience.

BCx: The facades of Santa Maria express visual expressiveness among otherwise ordinary materials. Was the strategy to make deep cuts into the solid mass by its punctuation, articulation and pattern of windows made to render the solid more strong? By doing so, it appears the provision of windows is not only to being in light.
AV: Although we carefully studied the position of the windows according to the interior use and needs, we also used such positions to create a rather aleatory pattern, which contributes to make the solid mass more solid.

One more thing that helped, was that form the very early stages of design, we were willing to use solid surfaces of wood on the facade. So for example, the bedroom windows on the first floor, have movable solid panels of wood in the inside. These are used as blinds and as temperature insulators at night. This kind of solution was used in colonial houses long time ago.

BCx: Did the buzzword of today “sustainability” cross your mind? What strategies and technologies (global or local) did you explore?
AV: I don´t believe in any kind of obsession, but I do believe that we need to design and build more consciously. I think that as a civilization we are no longer allowed to act irresponsibly or narrow sighted.

For me this basically means to design with common sense and more awareness. For example, in Santa Maria all the bedrooms have a considerable lower height than the living rooms, that is because it is easier to heat such spaces, but also because we wanted to bring a sense of warmth and protection from the outdoor environment.

BCx: To what extent did the client influence the ensuing design? Is the realization close to the conceptualization?
AV: The client definitely influenced the design, along the process we had a close and sometimes harsh relationship with him. I believe it was worth it because without such collaboration and reciprocity it would have been impossible to achieve the current design.

Fortunately the realization is really close to the conceptualization, we were lucky enough but also we were open to the client ideas and goals, while strongly pursuing our ideas.

BCx: What is your reaction to the global noise of images, concepts, and new and/or emerging technologies?
AV: I keep myself away from such noise and try to be silent. I believe in the power of basic values such as beauty and truth.

BCx: Which part of Santa Maria gives you the most pleasure?
AV: Having the opportunity to collaborate with a great group of professionals. Not just with the people involved in the design aspect of the project, but also with our client, with the construction people and the marketing people as well. Sometimes we as architects forget that architecture is only possible with a huge effort and energy from many many people.

BCx: Does this project have lessons for other architectural experiences in the Valle?
AV: I really don´t know. There are some things that the project tries to say (just like any other architectural project), but it will depend on the viewer if such messages are absorbed or discarded.

BCx: Finally, what are your thoughts on the debate about globalization and its effects on the built environment?
AV: I believe globalization is wonderful, it has expanded human interaction, it has made an almost border free world, and it has given us a sense of an interconnected and unified existence.

You can have access to the best the world can offer, and of course, also to the worst. The pace of globalization has far exceeded the pace in which our personal and collective responsibility has grown. So one of our great efforts as a society should be to catch up to the level of responsibility that is required from us.

It is great to be able to live in London while being able to handle a design firm settled in Mexico City. It is great to work with a model making company that is established in Colorado, USA or with an architectural visualization company settled in Sofia, Bulgaria.

The talent, products and services are out there. In spite of the present financial turmoil, we still have better opportunities than previous generations. So it is basically a matter of choice if we make a responsible or irresponsible use of all that is being offered to us.