How to build in the middle of nature while respecting it to the fullest 2:59
(CNN Spanish) --
We have all dreamed, as children, of having a tree house: a simple wooden construction that would allow us to get away from the noise and enjoy as we please.
The Pinochueco cabins, located in Huasca de Ocampo a few hours from Mexico City, seek to make that fantasy a reality and are an example of a type of architecture designed in and from nature, which is committed to intervening as little as possible in the environment.
When the architects José Ramón Uriegas Gutiérrez and Anahí Mauriño, from UMMA Arquitectura, were commissioned with a cabin project, the person in charge told him that what he wanted was to be reminded of his childhood.
"We all wanted to have a clubhouse in the tree or something," Uriegas tells CNN en Español.
From that inspiration emerged these elevated cabins, which respond to one of the fastest growing travel trends in recent years, nature-based tourism or ecotourism, and which make the environment a fundamental axis for their work.
These cabins allow, according to the definition of their creators, "glamping", a concept that mixes the contact with nature typical of campsites with the comforts of other types of accommodation, such as hot water, a full bathroom and a comfortable bed.
At the base they have a concrete column.
The frame is made of iron, and the construction is lined with wood and recycled materials.
They respond to the objective of its architecture, which is the harmonious coexistence between creations and nature, where nature always occupies the prominent place.
Do not touch the trees, the first law
Uriegas and Mauriño have a law when working: "don't touch the trees."
"The trees came before us, it is their place," reflects Mauriño, which is why his creations coexist with these precious elements of nature, which are part of his projects.
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It is not just about the trees, but about respecting the environment as much as possible.
"We try to make our architecture the least invasive. Try to build as little as possible, without altering the land so much," says Mauriño in this regard.
Nature-based tourism is a trend that seems to have taken hold with the coronavirus pandemic, which led to a rediscovery and revaluation of natural spaces.
Eliminate the boundaries between construction and nature
Another of UMMA Arquitectura's projects are the Bosque Cielo cabins, which follow a model known as "glass houses" due to the use of glass.
The objective is "that there is no limit between the exterior and the interior, that one being inside feels that one is part of the forest", explains Mauriño.
His colleague says that in this type of terrain they often find topographical elements such as long slopes with ravines and that what he seeks is to adapt the architecture to this geography instead of appropriating it.
"I believe that all landscapes without being intervened by human beings are perfect, until we arrive and intervene. So, how can we make this intervention the most appropriate and that it has aesthetics and functionality in terms of everything architecture?" says Uriegas, summarizing in that question the spirit that guides his work.
