Mangiacane

The Mangiacane house is located on a narrow lot within the city of Cayala, Guatemala and offers an alternate urban model to the predominant single family detached residences that have come to define most of contemporary Guatemala City.

The house is located along the edges of a new neighborhood that flanks a steep and heavily forested gorge. This natural condition places the building on a promontory that affords the project expansive views of the contemporary skyline and majestic Volcanoes in the distance. As such the overall massing of the building (both in plan, elevation, and section) is designed to capitalize on this relationship.

The three story house is composed with primary rooms flanking the memorable southwestern view. To protect these rooms from the intense Guatemalan sun and extend the living spaces towards the exterior, the southwest elevation has been designed with deep stacked loggias. These outdoor spaces frame the landscape beyond, multiplying the experience well beyond the perimeter of the building’s footprint.

The entrance to the house and secondary spaces are composed towards the north east end of the building; and a large central stair is set at the center of the plan. This vertical circulation element serves as a light-well for the darkest moments of the house, creating a dramatic vertical axis that functions as a counterpoint to the loggias and the adjacent rooms.

The project is constructed in masonry with stuccoed, exterior walls and plastered interiors that eliminate the need for drywall, a large waste product of much contemporary construction. Moreover, the disposition of the plan allows the house to easily cross ventilate, thus eliminating the need for active mechanical systems. Finally, the project utilizes locally sourced materials whenever possible, including roof tiles and wrought iron railings to both promote and support local craftsman and to ensure that the building will age gracefully.