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AMBROSI | ETCHEGARAY (/AUTHORS/2144734044-AMBROSI-ETCHEGARAY)

CASA VOLTA

PHOTOS BY SERGIO LÓPEZ (/AUTHORS/2144965735-SERGIO-LOPEZ)

(https://divisare-
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 SERGIO LÓPEZ
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The first thing you see when approaching Casa Volta are three brick vaults floating in the middle of the dense vegeta-
tion of the Oaxacan coast. Perhaps a mirage caused by the profuse and humid heat of the area. Then, following a
small path, one plunges into the green and the vaults disappear. The biggest surprise is when, suddenly, a small
clearing opens and a small bench appears next to a long pool of water flanked on both sides by porticoes with rectan-
gular columns that are reflected in it. It gives the impression of having arrived at an abandoned classical temple.

The house has a rigorous, Kahnian order, it is a rectangular plan subdivided into six also rectangular spaces, where
three patios and three spaces roofed by vaults alternate. In two of them, the rooms are located with their bathrooms
that are opened and closed by means of wooden doors and reed; the third, completely open, are the living, eating
and cooking areas. And at the center, the water, as a constant presence, as a reminder of the proximity of the sea,
which although it cannot be seen from here, is only 100 meters away.

An economic and practical circumstance was what determined the materiality of the house. Nearby is the Casa Wabi
Foundation, where clay is baked and where there was the availability of obtaining many pieces of waste brick, hence
the idea of ​making reuse brick vaults mounted on a concrete structure. A simple construction method that would allow
to meet the tight deadlines that were requested. On the other hand, the vaults, together with the reed lattices, make
the wind flow through the interior spaces all the time, while the water cools the exterior, in a climate that is too hot and
humid. All this creates an atmosphere of warmth and freshness at the same time.

Casa Volta is a demonstration that with a few well-thought-out elements, an adequate relationship with the climate
and nature, can be achieved. The constructive order does not contradict the apparent chaos that surrounds it, on the
contrary, it complements and blends itself; it is also a reminder that simplicity is always stylish. More than a house,
this construction is a small haven of civilization in the middle of the jungle, the cabin where Heidegger would have
taken refuge if he had had a more tropical vocation.

Juan Carlos Cano

(https://divisare-
res.cloudinary.com/images/c_limit,f_auto,h_2000,q_auto,w_3000/v1614855108/ca9ivtuy7inxncg18c3u/ambrosi-
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 SERGIO LÓPEZ
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(https://divisare-
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etchegaray-sergio-lopez-casa-volta.jpg)
 SERGIO LÓPEZ
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(https://divisare-
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 SERGIO LÓPEZ
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(https://divisare-
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 SERGIO LÓPEZ
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(https://divisare-
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etchegaray-sergio-lopez-casa-volta.jpg)
 SERGIO LÓPEZ
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(https://divisare-
res.cloudinary.com/images/c_limit,f_auto,h_2000,q_auto,w_3000/v1614855109/vanvoopkiqpciat6knui/ambrosi-
etchegaray-sergio-lopez-casa-volta.jpg)
 SERGIO LÓPEZ
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(https://divisare-
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 AMBROSI | ETCHEGARAY
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(https://divisare-
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 AMBROSI | ETCHEGARAY
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PUBLISHED ON MARCH 04, 2021

LOCATION
MEXICO - PUERTO ESCONDIDO

DESIGNER
AMBROSI | ETCHEGARAY (/AUTHORS/2144734044-AMBROSI-ETCHEGARAY)

PROJECT YEAR
2019

PHOTOS BY
SERGIO LÓPEZ (/AUTHORS/2144965735-SERGIO-LOPEZ)

ATLAS OF ARCHITECTURE

FOUNTAINS & REFLECTING POOLS (HTTPS://DIVISARE.COM/FOUNTAINS)

HOLIDAY HOUSES (HTTPS://DIVISARE.COM/HOLIDAY-HOUSES)
KITCHENS (HTTPS://DIVISARE.COM/KITCHENS)
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LATIN-AMERICAN INTERIORS (HTTPS://DIVISARE.COM/LATIN-AMERICAN-INTERIORS)
MEXICAN HOUSES (HTTPS://DIVISARE.COM/MEXICAN-HOUSES)
VAULTS (HTTPS://DIVISARE.COM/VAULTS)
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DIVISARE HOMEPAGE
MARCH 07, 2021 (HTTP://DIVISARE.COM/HOMEPAGES/2021/3/7)
AUGUST 13, 2021 (HTTP://DIVISARE.COM/HOMEPAGES/2021/8/13)

DIVISARE JOURNAL
DECEMBER 20, 2021 (HTTP://DIVISARE.COM/JOURNALS/754)
MARCH 09, 2021 (HTTP://DIVISARE.COM/JOURNALS/589)

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