Casa AV is a project located in the city of Xalapa, Veracruz, Mexico. It lies to the west of the city, on a slope that offers panoramic views of great importance, which lead to two principal focal points. The first, the volcano known as Pico de Orizaba, determines the outline and principal axis of the architectural plan, which is rotated nine degrees with respect to the borders of the lot in order to center and point towards the volcano. The second is the Cofre de Perote, a volcano which is the reference point for the views from the lateral façade.
This rotation of the principal axis takes inspiration from the periscope, which searches for a point on the horizon from a relatively hidden position. In this manner the landscape is captured to form part of the home’s interior views.
The entrance to the home takes inspiration from this same premise of concealment, an interplay of volumes that are barely visible. In contrast, the back façade opens by distributing its architectural plan in a staggered fashion, taking advantage of its topography, which is aligned to the guiding axis of the project.
The house is built on a lot of 950 square meters, of which 80% consists of green spaces, testifying to the project’s minimal footprint on the terrain.
