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Elevated House.

2011-10-13T23:58:00.000-05:00

Designing for a modular and/or DIY construction project may have mixed expectations, nevertheless we still try to address the issue from time to time. The model presented here is a 13.8 by 6.4 meter single family home or live/work environment that could easily be a long term dwelling for a working professional or newlyweds, as well as a vacation home or retreat; we've placed the construction on top of two concrete pillars in order to achieve a minimal footprint and since it's modular, the building can rest on lower foundation or stilts just above grade. The example presented here is a solution in which by elevating the frame we get a nice covered area that can be used as a garage or a terrace, or it can be enclosed to make for more interior living areas.

As a study model we expect there will be some changes and adjustments in order to get the economy of it into a range that fits into most budgets. More to come soon.

OFL

The Maritime Bar.

2011-01-06T18:14:00.001-06:00

A Restaurant and Bar for the city of Bilbao, Spain; the site is on the bank by the river Nervión, very near the Guggenheim Museum. It's intended as a transition spot, a place to get a quick lunch or dinner, a drink in between bars or to enjoy the views of the river, the people on the streets and to have a nice night out.

The main body rests atop a platform that houses kitchen, storage and technical rooms, this creates a public space that serves as access plaza with a great view of the city streets and river surrounding it.

Sa House 005.

2011-01-06T16:59:00.004-06:00

SA House 005- A prototype mountain house. Proposed as a modular construction, this medium house includes two full bathrooms, two bedrooms, full kitchen, laundry, entertainment room, small office, patio, terrace and three car garage (a zoning requirement by the development).

The Ribbon Building.

2010-08-11T04:14:00.001-05:00

Study House 004.

2010-08-04T07:54:00.001-05:00

Number 4 in the series, this project is based on the modular 4x8ft. standard and variations adding 1/4, 1/2, etc. to the widths and heights creating a more welcoming interior, taking note of the exterior details made from zinc, aluminum and ebony panels and double pane windows. The plan consists of two bedrooms, two bathrooms, kitchen, living room and study, and a space for future expansion on the second floor terrace, in the spirit of DIY construction that lowers building cost and makes for a more adaptable dwelling for inhabitants.

Oval Star Building.

2010-06-16T14:22:00.002-05:00

Study House 001.

2010-06-07T17:38:00.000-05:00

The first design in the series, a house for three persons with open courtyard, a covered foyer/terrace, two bedrooms, two bathrooms and ample views. Based on the principle of DIY, the structure proposed is snap lock steel beams, columns and guides; exterior finish is modular and insulating with flexibility in interior floor plan as open or divided.

Study House 003.

2010-06-03T13:06:00.002-05:00

Duplex Ana.

2010-06-03T11:38:00.001-05:00

A 2/3 + 1/3 duplex project, the two units in this design are not symmetrical, one is slightly bigger than the other, ANA being the smaller of the two.

Museum House SF.

2010-04-27T22:19:00.001-05:00

Single Family Residential project in the mountains of Monterrey, Mexico.

The name of the project comes from the large collection of art objects that has grown over the years; the family (and the collection) needed a new larger home to properly display the many sculptures, paintings and installations, also wanted were dedicated spaces like a wine cellar, a game room with a full service bar, a hobby room, storage, a private terrace and garden and a swimming pool. The original name of the project, 'Tree House' came from the requirement to include three large Oak Trees that stand mighty in the property, and were incorporated into the design process that became the finished house.

2010-04-19T22:25:00.001-05:00

A cardboard and wood model of a house designed in 2005. The elevated volume in the foreground is a study/main bedroom area while a garage is underneath.

Garden Sculpture.

2010-04-12T01:46:00.001-05:00

A base 10 element for a contemporary art garden.

Ribbon House Experiment.

2010-04-10T01:47:00.002-05:00

An architectural study about: open plan, continuous walls, detached from ground, minimal structure, easy to build/prefab elements.

Arc Pavilion- Buddhist Shrine and Gardens.

2010-04-08T02:59:00.004-05:00

An exercise about Form vs. Use.

High Rise Apartment Study.

2010-04-06T00:25:00.001-05:00

The recent stagnation in luxury apartments in mainland cities in the USA and other countries like Panama, Mexico and the Caribbean islands is contrasted by a steady demand for these types of buildings in coastal areas; two years ago when the market had a positive outlook I drafted a proposal for an energy recycling complex of two towers, one smaller than the other (the tallest being 36 stories) a sketch of which you see above.

Time delays and budget changes kept this project shelved, but I wanted to show that the ideas preceding the design are still valid today and even more so in fact, where energy and access to clean water and storage is an ever growing concern. The core ideas were: A) to have a set of apartments that were powered partially or totally (depending on the season) on wind generated electricity and solar energy (the 'tips' on each corner of the upper structure containing wind generators, solar cells and electrical distribution systems) , B) to use captured rain water for auxiliary supply and cooling, and C) use as much as possible minimum maintenance, long lasting, locally sourced, recycled when possible materials to comply with LEED Gold standards.

OFL.

More Toy Buildings.

2010-02-07T15:24:00.001-06:00

PLAY REQUIRED.

2010-02-02T19:24:00.001-06:00

Play is a big part of an architecture practice. Play is my favorite part of the business.

Mixed Use Building Sketches.

2010-01-26T22:04:00.001-06:00

Concept: Autoshow Booth.

2010-01-19T21:23:00.005-06:00

Update: test animation.

CASA OLINALA.

2010-01-14T17:01:00.002-06:00

Conceptual design for a house high in the mountains of Monterrey, in collaboration with Marce Garal Architecture.

Our client specified he wanted to make as little impact as possible on the heavily wooded site, which is in a protected forest reserve above 800 meters MSL. The initial proposal is to elevate the house on pillars and have it "hover" above to take advantage of the spectacular views to the north and northeast.

100 Steps.

2010-01-08T18:17:00.006-06:00

For some reason we humans seem to skip steps from time to time, for instance there is one step missing for every ten steps in the video and there is always one last step. When people walk for prolonged periods, let's say a walk around a park, time and effort are displaced in the body, giving the impression that more steps were taken; the purpose of this project was to see if we could establish a base for successfully measuring urban sites and/or landmarks and still keep a relative low margin of error without the use of technical aids, just simple human locomotion. As it turns out, the method itself for counting differs from person to person and therefore a more elaborate system or applied rules are needed for it to be accurate within certain tolerances.

The resulting video is entertaining nonetheless.

Tour De France.

2010-01-08T17:48:00.001-06:00

Tour De France stage Start/Finish station for officials and press/photographers.

My design for the 2006 tour, riders would go under the structure as they start the race where official timing is marked. The platform consists of three fabricated structures that are assembled /disassembled on site and transportable via a flatbed truck to every stage end point where a crew of five would take one hour to set up.

Box Study Model.

2010-01-08T17:35:00.001-06:00

Promo.

2010-01-08T17:06:00.004-06:00

Hard Thinking.

2010-01-08T15:37:00.002-06:00