A Space of Contemplation created by Daniela Bucio Sistos

Monochromatic and spatially ambiguous, Casa UC is a residence in Mexico designed by Daniela Bucio Sistos that offers a meditative environment for the user

A residence located on the outskirts of the city of Morelia in the western Mexican state of Michoacán, Casa UC features interior spaces that are in direct contact with the micro-environments of the house. Designed by Daniela Bucio Sistos, the architecture of the residence arises from the concern to create a project with certain spatial ambiguity between the interior and exterior, and which could sometimes be imperceptible. Casa UC was always envisioned as a walkable residence, that when walking through it the change of textures and scales would make it a space away from the ocular centrism linked to a sensitive interaction with the user.

Silent Spaces

The architect sought to create a residence that would be almost monochromatic, yet full of textures that with the incidence of natural light on the different volumes would have different personalities throughout the day. Slender volumes were distributed on a plane to create voids and courtyards that rise above masonry walls in the form of a slope.

Casa UC doesn’t say much on the outside. The main entrance is tucked in at the end of the textured partition wall that runs along most of the front of the property. Upon entering and descending the access ramp, one finds the main foyer of the residence dressed with a tabachin in the centre and a large circular elevated roof overhead.

From the vestibule, two large circular openings can be seen on the sides—one inside the library and the opposite one at the end of the patio that connects to the secondary bedrooms. The circular foyer is the guiding axis of the residence; symbolically, it is taken as the starting point for the radial floor that runs throughout the project. The residence consists of four bedrooms, library, kitchen, dining room, terrace, living room and orchard.

Casa UC opens up to a row of cypress trees at the back of the site through a large ramp that connects the living room with the garden. To the sides and front, it is closed to preserve privacy and maintain silence.

Photo credit: Dane Alonso, Mariano Renteria Garnica

Factfile

Project: Casa UC, Morelia, Mexico

Architects: Daniela Bucio Sistos // Taller de Arquitectura y Diseño

Architect in charge: Daniela Bucio Sistos

Construction: Daniela Bucio Sistos, Edel Hernández

Other participants: Isabel Molina Plaza, Gonzalo Nares Vázquez, Jimena Eslava Ramírez

Built area: 550 sq m

Year of completion: 2021