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A five-volume vacation house that gives a nod to monastic architecture while drawing inspiration from wine-making and the passage of time.
Located in the city of San Miguel de Allende, Mexico, Casa San Francisco is a contemporary vacation home that beautifully connects the history of the colonial-era city with the concept of the passage of time. Architecture firm Jorge Garibay Arquitectos designed the house with five volumes that reference not only the city’s 16th-century monastic architecture, but also the introduction of grape cultivation during that same period. The landscape, the idea of imperfect beauty, seasonal changes, and the cycles of birth, growth and entropy also influenced the design.
Casa San Francisco boasts five monolithic volumes, each oriented towards a different part of the landscape to maximize the connection to nature. Windows open to views of the surrounding vineyards and gardens. Accessed through a double-height entrance area, a corridor runs through all of the volumes, organizing the living spaces. While the east wing houses the bedrooms, the west wing contains the kitchen, dining room, living room, garage, and service areas.
Jorge Garibay Arquitectos chose a material palette that conveys the concepts behind the minimalist design while giving a nod to local building traditions. Apart from locally sourced stone, the studio also used unpolished Mexican marble and a lime-based paint finish. Inside Casa San Francisco, oak furniture and lighting inspired by the color temperature of 16th-century convent lighting create a warm and relaxing atmosphere. Photography by Cesar Belio.
