Querétaro, Qro., Mexico: Casa Roble by Pothe Estudio is inspired by the spatial and material qualities of traditional Mexican homes and the return of the patio as a central space for recreational and social activities.
At first glance, the house seems simple with several closed volumes finished with clay. An entry lattice gate achieves provides privacy while filling the home with light. Behind this, the central patio of the house is revealed. With a working area of only 10 x 19 m (32.0 x 62.33 ft) the patio is open and spacious in feeling and able to be expanded to accommodate parties and plenty of movement.
The interior area of the home extends outward to this patio area. Living room, dining room and kitchen blend in a single open-plan gallery contained between two exterior spaces. Floor-to-ceiling windows run along the sides, allowing air to circulate and the sun to enter. The second level is the private area, a study/hallway and three bedrooms, with the circulation of the spaces and the main bedroom open onto views towards the patio and to the centre tree top.
In a nod to the region’s building tradition, the lobby is a corridor that has parallel frames of pigmented concrete and pivoted ironwork windows on its side.
Though the house appears contemporary, it at the same time has the feeling of existing in a different era thanks to traditionally used materials such as pink quarry paving stone, clay walls and concrete floors.
