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Architects: Agustín Hernández
This strange and sophisticated work of architecture, like a monumental and provocative ultra-modern sculpture, is actually a cutting-edge family home designed by Mexican architect Agustín Hernández, known for his style of Sculptural Architecture.
In this project, each of the geometric elements that make it up responds to concepts that encompass three main aspects: the originality of the forms and their expressive value, the interior solution, and the reinterpretation of pre-Columbian architecture, always sought after by Agustín Hernández.
The location of this residence to the east of Mexico City was instrumental in its structural design. Situated in an area of strong slopes at the end of a wide avenue, the design principles were based on the cultural tradition of using the circle and the square when circumscribed. The steeply sloping terrain played a significant role in shaping the design.
The tone of the project seeks to create a cantilevered structure that allows for increased views while leaving the site free of retaining walls. In this case, the support element is formed by two enormous pylons, with a circular opening, through which the prismatic body of the dwelling passes. Likewise, the rhomboidal volume marks the horizontal axes on the façade, so that the widest level is the reception area and the narrowest is the service area, with the bedrooms on the intermediate levels.
The entrance to the house is made through a thirty-meter-long corridor, made of glass and completely covered with domes. This solution allows for a contrast between light and shadow to achieve light refraction within the space, where the predominant color is purple.
To solve the interior spaces, architect Agustín Hernández avoided using walls, instead dividing the different areas with decorations that are connected by a hallway. The interior decoration is very sober and elegant, with wood, concrete, steel, and glass being the predominant materials.
In addition, the house has outdoor parking for cars and a wine cellar located within the load-bearing walls, and is complemented by a pool located in a stepped garden crossed by a waterfall that originates in the upper building.
The structure of the building is based on a module of 1.15 meters and features two reinforced concrete supports that work under compression. The cantilever is made up of a prefabricated metal frame structure, screwed onto four master beams that support it. This design allows the six facades to reflect the interior space without masking it. Windows, skylights, installations, and finishes play a predominant role in forming a plastic whole in unusual spaces.
For many, this work carries an aesthetic that seems to be taken from a science fiction novel, to which architect Agustín Hernández himself has responded: "I would rather say that the house is within the architecture of our century, within the optimistic trend. For me, the idea of a house is an abstract concept of interrelated spaces to be able to live in them; a structure of needs where the well-being and comfort of the human being prevail in their own microcosm, within their habitable universe." In the end, Agustín's Casa en el Aire responds to current technology and culture.
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Architects: Agustín Hernández
