Casa Cieneguita by architect Max von Werz and interior designer Ted Wolter entails the transformation of a modest adobe brick structure in the Mexican countryside into a future private home for a furniture and art dealer.
The project follows the philosophy that obsolete building stock should be considered a valuable resource to be continuously repaired, retrofitted, and upgraded. In order for the shift to adaptive reuse to be scalable and have a significant measurable impact on our environment, we need to target not only monuments with historic or artistic significance but also ordinary everyday buildings.
The project is made up of rooms linked together without corridors. Doors set enfilade and connecting from room to room create striking views that cut across the house. An Orangerie or winter garden running the length of the house buffers the interior spaced from the strong mid-day sun and protects users from the occasionally strong winds. A central patio contains a stair winding up to the roof garden that benefits from panoramic views of the surrounding mountains.
