Parapente House

HDA Hector del Mar

Short description

Being a weekend house in the mountains, the project has no immediate urban context or pre-existing features that have been recovered. However, the integration occurs in the materials and forms, which are allusive to the urban and rural context of Valle de Bravo. Most of the materials used in its construction were supplied and/or worked by people who live in the immediate vicinity of the site. The blacksmith had his workshop a couple of blocks away, the carpenters are on the road to Temascaltepec, the stone is from a local quarry, etc. The structure, which is also finished, is a combination of wood, masonry and concrete mixed with earth from the excavations themselves.
• The roof over the common areas of 200 M2 on the top floor was designed by means of the geometric analysis of the paragliders to concentrate the pluvial runoff in a single point. The water is filtered and stored in five 10,000-liter cisterns on the ground floor, which guarantees that all the consumption of the house is rainwater for more than the 4 to 6 months that the rainy season lasts. The water that falls on the rest of the roofs of the house is retained and filtered by the gardens that dominate the roofs of the complex before being channeled into the natural runoff from the mountain. All W.C. They are 4 liters and double action. All the showers are Hansgrohe eco-use with low consumption (7lts/minute). The sewage goes to a biodigester before being infiltrated into the subsoil with a 15-meter-deep absorption well. 80% of the roofs are green with local plants to regenerate the flora and fauna of the forest. The geometry of the "paragliding" roof favors orientation for photovoltaic generation and solar heating. Its surface has 25 photovoltaic panels that guarantee 98% of the project's electricity supply, as well as 12 solar heating panels that support a high-efficiency Bosch boiler, reducing LP gas consumption by 40%.
• In this project accessibility was a challenge. The common area (kitchen, living room, dining room) is located 20 meters above street level. To solve this problem we installed a freight elevator on a rail that accompanies the 100 steps to reach the top and stops at each landing that allows access to the bedrooms for a total of 5 stops from the ground floor. In addition, the walk becomes an opportunity to enjoy the ascent, the forest and the project.
Since the house was finished, the electricity bill reaches more or less $250.- due to the efficiency of the photovoltaics (98%). The project
It contemplates hydronic heating in the bedrooms and bathrooms that has not been necessary to use more than 5% of hours per year. This is due to the bioclimatic design that made the envelope highly efficient in balancing the interior temperature through the correct use of thermal mass, eaves, green roofs and duo vent windows. The temperatures were simulated in specialized software to guarantee the thermal comfort of the interior spaces. Cross ventilation was also tested in a wind tunnel to allow heat to escape in the dry season months. Although it is not a Net Zero house due to its amenities (pool, jacuzzi, etc.), it is a house that would have consumption and maintenance expenses above 60% of what is paid if it were not for the attention that is given to it. gave to the project which reduced maintenance costs considerably.