30th October 2019 | IN PROJECT OF THE WEEK | BY SBID Share Tweet Pinterest LinkedIn Project of the Week: SBID Awards Winners 2019 This week’s instalment of the #SBIDinspire interior design series features a nature-inspired property in Quintana Roo, Mexico which claimed the SBID Award for Overall Winner 2019. Centric to this award-winning design was the drive to redefine life in the jungle, promoting a non-invasive dialogue between architecture and its natural surroundings. Roth Architecture crafted this unique residence to harmoniously blend in with the environment, respecting and honouring the natural habitat that hosts it. The use of ferro-cement was specifically chosen to avoid the introduction of heavy machinery into the jungle, thus preventing the felling of 250 trees. The finish, carefully crafted with local materials, makes this a unique space of purely organic forms. SBID Awards: Overall Winner Sector: Residential Design Company: Roth Architecture Project: Uh May Residence Location: Quintana Roo, Mexico What was the client’s brief? The client’s request was to achieve a harmonious way of cohabiting with the idiosyncratic ecosystem. The main instruction was to have the least possible interference with nature by not cutting any trees and leaving the surface of the soil intact. The fundamental precept to preserve the curvature of the earth and not to cut any trees in the 10 hectares guided every step of the project. Our intention is to show that we can build by learning from nature and integrating and building on its teachings. What inspired the interior design of the project? The project was inspired by the shape of the Fibonacci spiral. The house unfolds akin to the shell of a snail, respecting the golden cut while effortlessly meandering through the network of trees. The purpose that guided the construction of the project was the integration of the intelligence of nature’s networking, specifically the information contained in the shape of the surface of the earth and conveyed through the network of trees. The intelligence of Earth’s ecosystem has evolved over millions of years, gradually becoming more accurate. Connected through mycelium, a complex fungus network that is still being researched, trees communicate, help and protect each other. What was the toughest hurdle your team overcame during the project? The toughest hurdle was, precisely, to not sacrifice any trees. We had to develop new construction techniques to preserve the natural fabric of the surroundings. Everything had to be done manually and in an artisanal manner, which resulted in fostering the collaborative spirit and consolidating our tribe akin to the experience Mayans would have had at the time the pyramids were built. What was your team’s highlight of the project? For this project I worked for the first time with trained architects which was a new experience, especially since I never followed a formal curriculum myself. When I would trace the outline of the construction in the air with my hand, and the architects would first transpose it into drawings on paper. Whereas the Mayan members of the team would immediately process the outline, almost like through a photographic process, and start building without previously translating the vision into a concept. In the course of the project we could observe a cross pollination between the two approaches which was a highly rewarding experience. Why did you enter the SBID Awards? We are at a point in human evolution where it is necessary to redefine man’s place in the world through projects activating three fundamental pillars: art, nature and ancestral wisdom. These three pillars inform not only each and every of our projects but also our organisational structure and the way we connect as a tribe. Our architecture shows how human creation can harmoniously coexist with the natural world, a concept which was well understood by the original cultures who lived under these precepts and expressed them in a plastic way, with art and architecture operating as a bridge to the source. Questions answered by Roth, Founder of Roth Architecture If you missed last week’s Project of the Week featuring the first photography exhibit for famed Toronto photographer, click here to see more. We hope you feel inspired by this week’s Residential design! Let us know what inspired you #SBIDinspire SBID Awards 2019 | Overall Winner