CASA SANTAMARINA…
SUSTAINABLE RESIDENCE

Client… Private
Location… Cerrada del Carmen, México DF
Area… 550 m² / 5,920 sq ft
Date… 2007 / 2008
Author… Adriana Monroy / Paul Cremoux
Staff… Javier Salinas / Oscar Martínez

Casa Santamarina implements many sustainability and energy saving concepts necessary to the making of an eco-friendly project. The ruling concepts of the house design are:
• Should blend in with its surroundings. Concept of “camouflage” and “color correction”.
• Should not impact the environment, should try to improve it.
• Should not bother neighbors visually.
• Should not modify the rainfall run-off nor waste water.
• The house should be perceived as a discreet edification.
• The use of recycled and certified material is compulsory.
• The construction process will follow LEED standards.
The house’s terrain is located on one of the deepest parts of the ravine that runs along Cerrada del Carmen. This makes the view from the neighborhood to the house almost always from top to bottom. With the purpose of not interfering with the vegetation, we are proposing a green roof. The house is surrounded by the forest with an only way in, thru a wooden bridge. The main volume is composed as of two dark stone plates that have a variety of perforations and volume terraces that integrate the interior spaces with the exterior environment.