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Iguana house

The danzón is a traditional Mexican dance known to be paused, calmed, precise and romantic: features that Obra Blanca translated into architecture for a single family house in Veracruz.

With three independent volumes connected by a bridge Mexican studio Obra Blanca designed the Iguana House, a single family house where the spaces in between are bounded by a thin layer of clay bricks arranged just like a tower of cards, recalling some traditional constructions of the region.

Img.1 Obra Blanca, Iguana House, Veracruz, Mexico, 2016

Img.2 Obra Blanca, Iguana House, Veracruz, Mexico, 2016

Img.3 Obra Blanca, Iguana House, Veracruz, Mexico, 2016

Img.4 Obra Blanca, Iguana House, Veracruz, Mexico, 2016

Img.5 Obra Blanca, Iguana House, Veracruz, Mexico, 2016

Img.6 Obra Blanca, Iguana House, Veracruz, Mexico, 2016

Img.7 Obra Blanca, Iguana House, Veracruz, Mexico, 2016

Img.8 Obra Blanca, Iguana House, Veracruz, Mexico, 2016

Img.9 Obra Blanca, Iguana House, Veracruz, Mexico, 2016

Img.10 Obra Blanca, Iguana House, Veracruz, Mexico, 2016

Img.11 Obra Blanca, Iguana House, Veracruz, Mexico, 2016

Located just four hundred meters away from the Gulf of Mexico, the house faces an environment of high humidity, corrosion and strong wind gusts called nortes. The house had to be a quiet refuge from the routine. Despite being a residence of permanent use, the spaces evoke a the characteristics of the danzón, a traditional dance of the Veracruz region: paused, calmed, precise and romantic.

Img.13 Obra Blanca, Iguana House, Veracruz, Mexico, 2016

On the ground floor, the house has a public and service program organized within the limits of three volumes. On the first floor there is an exclusively private program, with one bedroom in each volume. The house is supported over a concrete skirting board, a monolithic extension of the foundation that emerges from the earth. Light plays an important role in conjunction with the lattice walls, with complex shadows that run through the spaces, telling the passage of time.

Img.12 Obra Blanca, Iguana House, Veracruz, Mexico, 2016

The natural materials characterize the colors and textures of the house’s indoors and outdoors. The concrete elements and the exposed beam/vault block ceiling system get balanced by the warm feeling of the clay bricks on walls and floors. The external perimeter of each volume is covered with a flattened made by a mixture of white cement and Chucum resin. All the materials share easy maintenance and durability.

Img.13 Obra Blanca, Iguana House, Veracruz, Mexico, 2016

Img.14 Obra Blanca, Iguana House, Veracruz, Mexico, 2016

Img.15 Obra Blanca, Iguana House, Veracruz, Mexico, 2016

Obra Blanca, Iguana House, ground floor plan

Obra Blanca, Iguana House, first floor plan

Obra Blanca, Iguana House, roof floor plan

Obra Blanca, Iguana House, South and West elevations

Obra Blanca, Iguana House, North and East elevations

Obra Blanca, Iguana House, sections

Obra Blanca, Iguana House, concept maquette

Obra Blanca, Iguana House, concept maquette, front view

Iguana House, Veracruz, Mexico
Program: single family house
Architects: Obra Blanca
Structural engineering: Apolinar Cortez Sanche
Main contractor: V+B Construcciones
Manufacturers: Cemex (cement and concrete), Chukum (Chucum tree resin), Che Alum (aluminum windows and door frames), Rocacero (concrete prestressed beam and vault block floor system), Ramon Juarez (carpentry work)
Site area: 375 sqm
Construction area: 365 sqm
Completion: 2016

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Iguana house

The danzón is a traditional Mexican dance known to be paused, calmed, precise and romantic: features that Obra Blanca translated into architecture for a single family house in Veracruz.

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