El Ocojal is a residential complex of six 350 m2 houses nestled in the forest over a plot of 7,000 m² in a weekend destination for Mexico city inhabitants. Its name refers to the predominant vegetation of the area. The project was conceived with the objective of minimizing intervention in the environment, preserving the existing vegetation and carrying out only minimal logging of three trees, thus ensuring the integration with the landscape. It is achieved both through the layout of the houses and through the use of materials such as timber and clay-tile that respond to the natural context, establishing a color palette aligned with the context.The A morphology provides spatial amplitude, with double-height areas and large windows that frame the landscape and establish a direct visual connection with the surroundings.
The orientation of each house was carefully studied to improve indoor climatic comfort. In addition, several passive thermal control strategies are implemented, along with water-saving systems and treatment plants. In addition, new trees were planted to compensate for the intervention, along with ferns and endemic species that reinforce the wild character of the site.
Bio Chain + Siman is an architecture and interior design firm, located in Mexico City, led by Renatta Chain and Lina Siman. The idea behind the signature has to do with simplicity; clean lines, natural palettes and a close dialogue between light, space and texture, systematically organizing a set of elements and highlighting their essential characteristics and relationships to form a concept.
Other prizes A + Awards Architizer 2020 | Honorable mention in Detail + Architecture + Stone category The Plan Award 2020| Longlisted in Houses category Premio Nacional AAI México | 1st. place in Restaurants category Premio Nacional AAI México | 3rd. place in Residential Architecture Premio Firenze Entremuros | 2nd. place in Residential Architecture Íconos del diseño 2020 by AD México | Finalist in Residential Interior Design category
