Godoy House – Hernandez Silva Arquitectos – Mexico

Project: Hernandez Silva Arquitectos

Type: Residential- Single family residence

Location: Jalisco, Mexico

Building status: built

Built date: 2005-2007

The house is located in a private neighborhood outside the city, the land is flat and located in a corner, with neighbors to the south and east side, the west contains a large line of trees that separates  the house from the street and takes a turn into the north where both entrances lie: one pedestrian and another one for cars, there are two bodies floating, the one on the left is a large box covered in gray stone that levitates over  the street opening a gap where the cars are stored, the second body  is transparent and light, larger and higher, which shows the pedestrian entrance, it is a volume of windows to the north and west  sheltered by a white steel lattice, obeying the relationship with the sun, as this orientation is extremely hard in the city.

The transparent volume at the entrances expands by the side of the trees, the lattice covers its front face and is secured to a vertical wall at the back, which eventually blocks the heat from the west, in the back, two walls rise and bend horizontally to create a great flying ceiling of 36ft. (11mts.) over the garden and pool, supporting a second floor where the master bedroom is located so that it gets a complete open view to the garden which is surrounded by woodland.

The entrance platform is elevated because the house has a semi-basement, thereby it allows to generate different uneven levels opening the flow in several directions, the inside is completely open, with almost all the walls in the same direction, this is quite evident from the courtyard entrance, which is a well it double height gap, where the main circulations converge, one vertical and the other a translucent glass bridge connecting the two ends on the first floor.

The house structure is steel, it was built during a situation where this material was at a low price, allowing to build an almost floating house.

The house opens with a long and folding window system in the background, integrating the garden into the interior, making social spaces in a fully integrated large terrace with a garden and pool, this allows to live the cool and privileged Guadalajara’s weather, the dining room looks out above the  terrace  and communicates above the garden with the kitchen and studio, the two stairs set off from the basement  to the second floor, one leads to the services and the other weaves the social and private spaces of the house.