or
or
or pick a random keyword:

#01 Casa de Uno by Dear Architects

Filmatica

Theatrics of Refuge.


A break from the activity of city life in bustling Monterrey, Mexico, Casa de Uno transports the viewer into a series of isolated natural occurrences where nature plays the protagonist on a stage of minimal architectural elements. Juan Benavides of Filmatica captures the intimate moments that arise out of the careful isolation of organic life and architecture in this interpretation of the home as a place of refuge and reflection designed by Dear Architects in 2009.

We begin our discovery of the residence as we are initially confronted by a large geometric mass relieved by minimal incisions. We cut to a slight outpour of vegetation hinting at the home's interior character. The transition from public into private is experienced in phases as we move from the guarding barrier and through a black steel door into a narrow concrete paved patio. The narrow breathing space between the barrier and the dwelling ends at the point of encounter between home and nature. Natural light is reflected from the white walls into the interior spaces above a vegetated ground. The observance of growing grass and a changing sky become important elements of the everyday life. Connecting hallways project the passage of time, further relating the temporal to the built environment. Light becomes the principle storyteller in the transitional spaces.

The transition between spaces become theatres of natural spectacle. The compression that occurs in the common meeting spaces provides a protective intimacy that is dramatized by the permeable perimeter. Benavides composes a series of moments in which architecture becomes a backdrop to various natural phenomena. In creating these moments of isolation, one can understand the growth of a tree, the movement of the sun, and the imprints of the rain.

This is the first short film in a series directed by Juan Benavides of Filmática which includes the documentation of 12 houses designed by up and coming Mexican architects throughout various cities in Mexico.

Credits

Architect: Dear Architects
Mentioned project: Casa de Uno (2009)
Project location: Monterrey, Mexico
Music: Gerardo Orozco

Mexico 2014
Duration: 3'41''