Casa Estelí transforms a deteriorated adobe silo into a contemporary dwelling through a strategy of structural autonomy and material continuity. Rather than reconstructing or aestheticizing the existing fabric, the project preserves the weathered earthen walls, stabilizing them while maintaining their visible patina and erosion as part of the building’s memory.
The 45 m² adobe silo was consolidated through the integration of a continuous timber ring beam and structural anchoring of new openings. This intervention allows the historic masonry to act cohesively under seismic forces, reinforcing rather than replacing the original mass. The strategy extends the life cycle of the structure while preserving its embodied carbon.
A self-supporting timber roof becomes the central articulating element of the ensemble. Structurally independent from the historic walls, the lightweight pitched roof protects the adobe from further erosion and unifies the old and new volumes beneath a continuous architectural gesture. Its generous overhangs create shaded transitional spaces and improve passive environmental performance, while minimizing additional loads on the existing masonry.
Two new brick volumes flank the silo, defining a social corridor along the main façade. These additions are constructed as fully load-bearing masonry using the rat-trap bond system. With an effective thickness of 26 cm, the configuration establishes a tectonic dialogue with the 30 cm adobe walls while reducing material consumption compared to solid brickwork. Embedded vertical reinforcements complement the structural system, ensuring seismic resilience.
The rat-trap bond operates simultaneously at phenomenological and technical levels. Its depth and void configuration produce a perception of mass consistent with the adobe structure, while the integrated cavity enhances thermal inertia and allows installations to pass without compromising structural integrity. In the temperate highland climate of San Cristóbal de las Casas, the combined mass of adobe and brick moderates diurnal temperature variations, enabling the house to function entirely through passive means.
Casa Estelí proposes sustainability as an outcome of material logic rather than technological supplementation. By retaining the existing structure, employing locally produced clay brick, regional timber, and traditional clay flooring, the project minimizes transportation impact and supports local labor networks. The reliance on durable, repairable systems avoids dependence on specialized imported technologies.
Through the structural independence of its roof, the continuity of earthen and brick mass, and the precision of its masonry construction, Casa Estelí demonstrates how low-tech architecture can achieve environmental responsibility, seismic resilience, and cultural continuity within a coherent tectonic framework.
