Casa Hogar Ciudad Valles

Tecnológico de Monterrey (ITESM), dep. of architecture

Project idea

The project consists in a foster home designed for 96 people, it varies the age of the kids from 0 to 18 years old, it takes place in Ciudad Valles, San Luis Potosí, Mexico. Casa Hogar Ciudad Valles seeks to be a new and completely different foster for boys and girls of different ages where they can live in better conditions while they hope to get a new home.

Project description

We started dividing the plod in 3 horizontal sections that helped us to create different spaces. In the first section, located in the front part which contains offices for the staff, a bakery, a complete kitchen, a nursery, two bedrooms and a big dining room.
The bakery has a counter and a kitchen with all the equipment required, this helps the foster home to be financially sustainable. The kitchen is beside the bakery, so it makes it more efficient. Next to the kitchen is located the dining room with a great space providing a dynamic space that can fit more than 90 people.
Concrete benches between the first and the second section can be founded, this zone was designed for everyone who visit the foster and want to know the children. In this way, privacy is never lost.
The second and the third section are divided in four modules that separates by age and gender. Each module is divided again in four small houses. Each one has half levels and a service core; the half levels create private and safe places, at the same time allowing cross ventilation and comfort. Homework and game space are located on the ground floor, while bedrooms can be found in upper levels. Each house communicates through the game space with the house besides. The roof consists in vaults which cover each house and at the same way, allows to collect rainwater.
Each house is out of phase with each other creating an arched form that generates a dynamic space for the kids. Thus, an open and big playground (as if it were a big pixel) is created for the users where several activities can be done. The shape of the yard allows the caregivers to keep an eye on the kids while they are playing.
The central core for caregivers is found on the back side of the plod, this module has the same distribution as the houses. On the ground floor there is a small kitchen and a laundry, in upper levels the bedrooms.
The project can be built in phases (as shown in the video), it represents a more sustainable economy, also it can be scalable and be built according to the requirements.

Technical information

The proposal seeks to be a sustainable project in different senses. The use of local materials such as brick, concrete and wood. This intention is reflected in local building techniques. Brick walls which work as barriers and divisions of spaces, providing comfort for the user and the use of wood lattice to allow cross ventilation. The structural system consists on prefabricated slabs by joist and vaults. For the roof we propose vaults to cover the houses, at the same time we collect rainwater to give it a second use.