A RELAXING EXPERIENCE
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LOCATIONCuetzalan, Puebla, Mexico
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YEAR2011
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BUILT SURFACE320 m2
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PROJECT DIRECTORLeonardo Neve, Diego Vilatela
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PHOTOGRAPHYPatrick López
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STATUSBuilt
Located at the heart of Puebla state mountains in Mexico, an area of great natural beauty and rugged topography, inhabited mainly by indigenous nahuatl and totonacas.
The project answers to the needs of expansion of the local network of sustainable alternative tourism TosepanKali complementing the services offered by the existing hotel.
The building is shaped in an organic geometry to create a natural and “out of the city” relaxing experience and link to the rich cultural and natural inheritance of the town. The architectural program includes a reception, juice bar, a massage and treatment area, an ecological swimming pool, and a traditional “temazcal” bath, since the aim of the project is to merge local medicinal traditions with contemporary wellness treatments.
Sited at a former quarry, the building organic geometry also dialogs and adapts with the context and relates to the historical coffee plantations of the region. Conceived to create the less impact possible on the site, the program is placed into different level terraces adapting the space into the existing topography. The materials used were locally manufactured, including: adobe earth block, quarry stone, structural bamboo. It also includes eco-friendly technologies like a natural rain water swimming pool, and onsite waste water treatment.