Gruta House
Gruta House
Salvador Román Hernández + Adela Mortéra Villarreal
ARCHITECTS
Adela Mortéra Villarreal, Salvador Román Hernández
LOCATION
Valladolid, Mexico
CATEGORY
Houses
Text description provided by architect.
Casa Gruta, located in the Sisal neighborhood of Valladolid, Yucatán, is an architectural project designed by architects Salvador Román Hernández and Adela Mortera Villarreal.
This space aims to explore perception, scale, and materiality through a plastic and architectural approach that evokes the sensation of a refuge, reminiscent of a cave.
The work invites reflection on the fleeting nature of time and the relationship between the ephemeral and the eternal through the use of light and shadow, and the interaction between new structures and pre-existing ones.
The house is conceived as a contemporary habitable sculpture, inspired by the characteristic geological formations of the Yucatán Peninsula, such as caves, grottoes, and cenotes.
Its simplified materiality is based on the colors and textures found in these natural environments.
The gray-green pigmented concrete used in the façades changes its saturation with the passage of the sun, creating a dynamic atmosphere.
The contrast is provided by the natural cedar wood, which references the local vegetation, and the golden hardware that alludes to the minerals present in the land.
The design of the house is inspired by the arrangement of cenotes and caves, where tunnels, vaults, and clearings guide the sensory experience of the user.
Spaces open or close, offering different sensations along the journey. The entrance is marked by a poplar tree, which in Yucatán traditionally indicates the proximity of underground water formations, leading to an outdoor vestibule, where there is a body of water intervened by Andrés Briceño.
This element references the Mayan purification rituals prior to entering the cenotes.
The journey continues through a tunnel that leads to the main distributor of the house.
The first space is a room with a private patio, outdoor shower, and a body of water.
As one progresses, the tunnel opens into a common area that includes the living room, dining room, and kitchen, all under a hammered concrete vault.
This space culminates in a large cylinder that houses the staircase to the rooftop, a recreational space with a viewpoint for contemplating the landscape.
On the ground floor, the house has two additional rooms. One of them, more private, features a contemplative patio with sculptures and vegetation.
The master bedroom, the largest, ends in an interior patio with a cylindrical body of water, alongside a pre-existing flamboyant tree that creates play of light and shadow.
Casa Gruta is a refuge that invites introspection and reflection on the fast pace of contemporary life, serving as a space for contemplation and connection with time.
