Over in San Pedro Cajones, in Mexico, this architectural gem is keeping things interesting. The Silkworm Sanctuary is like nothing else you’ve seen, with the rooms spreading on different levels, the buildings connected by outdoor stairs and pathways.
Created by the architects at LAMZ Arquitectura, with the project led by Luis Alberto Martínez Zuñiga, the Silkworm Sanctuary molds perfectly to the topography of the location. Since this isn’t a home, but rather a government building where anyone can visit to find out more about the silkworm cultivation process, the architecture is that much more impressive.
The biggest challenge of this project was to find the right way to create the volumes of the home and the pathways connecting it all. Furthermore, they strived to respect the trees that were already there, building in a way that doesn’t disturb them. Of course, this makes the home have a unique shape, which is the very element that makes it stand out.
In order to get inside the home, you have to walk on a brick pathway. If you continue on the pathway, you’ll get on a ramp that takes you to the roof terraces.
The different rooftops are also connected through bridges and inclined roofs, allowing you to walk through the canopy of the trees, enjoying the views of the Sierra Norte Mountain range.
The insides of the home are equally impressive, with high ceilings, window walls, and stone floors. The materials they used had multiple purposes. First, they had to have a structural function. Secondly, they had to generate transparency, allowing light to go between the volumetric bodies.
Given how this is a government building that can be visited by loads of people, the inside of the home was created in such a way to ensure that everyone can move between the areas – young and old, abled or disabled.
