Ecatzingo | Dellekamp

Program: Three houses | Rural Housing
Location: Ecatzingo, Estado de México, México
Status: Build
Team: Samuele Xompero, Santiago Sitten, Fernando Torres, Alejandro Mata
Renders: Shea Gouthro
Photography: Enrique Márquez Abella 

Ecatzingo, located to the southwest of Popocatépetl volcano in the State of Mexico, continues to be one of the areas hardest hit by the 2017 earthquake: 1,587 houses were affected - 601of which were rendered uninhabitable- leaving entire families homeless. In partnership with Telar Social México and Reforestamos México, were undertook a commitment to creating conditions that improve the quality of life for families from Ecatzingo, encouraging the recycling of materials for reconstruction, taking into account the specific needs and context of each family and encouraging collaboration-based dialogue throughout the design process.

The project involves designing and building three homes which -Casa Julia- Casa Josefina-Casa Salvador-, in essence, form a series of experimental exercises based on three main research areas: ways of living in rural areas, the traditional construction systems in the region and its relevance today, and current building systems, their meanings, technical and social aspects. The entire process has been carried out with the full participation of the community, in particular of families who have approached the exercise as an opportunity to change their way of life and to increase their development and self-sufficiency. The house consists of three different zones: The public area (kitchen and dining room), the private area (bedroom), and the services (bathroom, storeroom, water storage). The design strategy minimizes the private area in order to increase the house public space.