“Casa Pirules,” designed by the architecture practice Escobedo Soliz, comprises four volumes of similar dimensions and proportions, adapted to the position of the existing trees. Starting from the street and moving towards the rear, the first volume houses the shop, followed by the bedrooms, the kitchen, and finally the living and dining room. Throughout the property, circulation between the volumes is facilitated by patios, staircases, and gardens. The character of the interior and exterior spaces is defined by varying heights, water features, vegetation, and different intensities of light.
Brick was used as the primary material for the walls due to its practicality, local availability, and affordability. Heights and platform levels were modulated using the brick course as the module. The exterior walls serve structural and technical functions, housing building services and providing acoustic and thermal insulation for the interior spaces.
"Casa Pirules" by Escobedo Soliz. Photograph by Ariadna Polo.
Project description by Escobedo Soliz
"Casa Pirules" is part of a group of six houses located on the edge of Valle del Maíz, one of the oldest neighborhoods in San Miguel de Allende. The site has a steep topography and is populated by native trees and vegetation—primarily pepper trees, mesquite trees, and prickly pear cacti—which give the project its name.
The neighborhood retains its original urban layout, with streets running parallel to the contour lines and plots of land descending longitudinally following the natural slope. This traditional organization responded to hydraulic and agricultural principles that allowed for the use of runoff for irrigation.
In contrast to the new walled developments that characterize the city's recent growth, the design seeks to integrate with the pre-existing dynamics of Valle del Maíz. The complex maintains the scale and proportion of the neighboring plots, ensuring that each house retains a direct connection to the street and establishes a respectful dialogue with the morphology, vegetation, and identity of the surroundings.
Each house comprises four volumes that accommodate the architectural program. From the street to the back, the spatial sequence is organized as follows: the shop volume, followed by the bedroom volume, the kitchen and service volume, and finally the living-dining room volume. In all six houses, the volumes maintain the same dimensions and proportions; what varies is their location within each lot, adapting to the position of the existing trees.
Circulation between volumes is articulated through patios, porticoes, staircases, and gardens that are revealed along the way. Changes in height, varying light intensities, water features, and vegetation define the diverse interior and exterior environments of the house.
Brick was chosen as the ideal material for the walls, as it allows for modulating heights and platform levels using the brick course as a module. Furthermore, it is a local and economical material, widely used in the Bajío region. The perimeter exterior walls of each pavilion are designed to be more robust, fulfilling structural and technical functions: housing facilities, providing acoustic and thermal insulation, and protecting the interior spaces from external conditions.
