ECO-FRIENDLY HOUSE

1. LOCATION

A central location might seem ideal for travelers, however, in the city center you'll never find these views of the landscape, the local ecosystem, or the connection with nature that we have here. We are located less than 1 km from Huatulco National Park, making it a pristine area with a great variety of flora and fauna. At the same time, we are only 7 minutes from the city center, placing us in a privileged location, close to amenities but far enough away to enjoy the local ecosystem. We are just 10 minutes from the beach by car.

2. ORIENTATION

It is important to consider locating the construction site where it is not necessary to cut down trees, or to minimize this as much as possible. This is crucial, as native trees help preserve both the native flora and fauna, providing refuge for many species and thus maintaining the natural balance.

Once the land was selected, we chose the spot with the best views to build on. One of our architectural principles is to preserve as much of the view as possible and avoid excessive heat, always taking advantage of sunrise and sunset. Casa Ixtlán is 60% indoors and 60% outdoors, allowing free access between the two spaces. For this reason, you might encounter a praying mantis or a tarantula right in the middle of the house, wanting to join the conversation. We try to keep these visitors alive, simply removing them from the house, rather than eliminating them, whenever possible.

3. WASTE SEPARATION

We separate all waste into three categories: compost, recyclables, and non-recyclables, allowing the waste collectors to keep the recyclables for their benefit.

5. NO FUMIGATION

These practices have been very useful in maintaining the house with frequent and extraordinary visits from unusual flora and fauna such as fireflies, butterflies, and praying mantises. When these species are fumigated, they also disappear. Solaris is the kitten that helps us with rodents and lizards.

Water & energy

WATER - We use the most environmentally friendly cleaning products possible and do not use fumigation or chlorine to reuse water for irrigation. This rural area lacks institutional services, even though we are only 5 minutes from downtown Huatulco. To obtain our water supply, we dug a well. Later, we created a water distribution system that allows us to recycle it, separating it into gray water (soapy water) and black water (excrement water). We built a plumbing system to treat this water and reuse it for irrigation. Since Huatulco has a long dry season, we also built a rainwater harvesting system and two water tanks: one for drinking water, and another for treating water with filters made of rocks with different minerals and freshwater algae. To prevent the proliferation of mosquitoes, we introduced a particular type of fish, which created an ecosystem that attracts birds, frogs, and other animals.

SOLAR PANELS - The energy system runs on solar panels, although our energy consumption is minimal: only the refrigerator, the oven, and a few fans. Everything else runs on electricity, so our carbon emissions are 0%.