Architecture Wednesday: Casa Desnuda

Desnuda means bare in English ... nude; so Casa Desnuda is the Bare House, the Raw House, the Nude House. That instantly sparked my interest. Plus, it’s in Merida, Mexico, where I tell Carlos we’ll retire, and where Carlos says, “Why?’

But I digress ..

Casa Desnuda is a small house, well, at least in width; the area is just 21 feet by 90 feet long ... sorta like a New York City townhouse, or a DC row house, so not that wee. But the facade faced west, which is not most encouraging, but that problem was solved by creating a barrier with the services to the west and separating the northern limit of the house, to create what the architect called an “air chimney” to aid in ventilation of a narrow space.

The architects also used passive conditioning elements, like the pool that cools the air before entering the house, and the glass wall to the east that opens or closes the space and controls the flow and the volume of air, and the sliding glass doors into the “air chimney” that create an entrance for the natural light in the north; there is also a plant wall to the west to increase the thermal barrier.

So, while it’s narrow, it’s also quite open; and it’s designed to be cool in every sense of the word.

See, Carlos, this could be our new home?  Casa Nekkid Boys!

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