Lead architect Cathi House of House + House Architects Struck a few snags along the way to Finishing Casa Cabo Pulmo for her clients, Pat Wright and Deb Zeyen. A hurricane hit the job while it was under construction, and even though the building was not damaged, drawings were dropped and roads were washed out, cutting the job off from deliveries of materials for a few months. But Mother Nature couldn’t discontinue House and her staff from building a comfortable home that is entirely wheelchair accessible.
Neither of the homeowners really uses a wheelchair. But Wright, who is legally blind, understands how things we take for granted in our national spaces (staircase, shower entrances( sliding doors) can have severe ramifications for individuals with disabilities. Wright is a civil rights lobbyist who had been instrumental in passing the Americans with Disabilities Act.
at a Glance
Who lives here: Pat Wright and Deb Zeyen
Location: Cabo Pulmo, Mexico
Size: 2,100 square feet
That’s intriguing: Neither of the homeowners uses a wheelchair.
House + House Architects
The majority of the houses in Cabo Pulmo, a secluded fishing village on the southern tip of Mexico’s Baja Peninsula, are easy, one-story units with palapa roofs over the whole living area. “The level of skill necessary to construct the concrete roofs and the very long, complicated ramp stretched the skills of everyone working on the job,” says House. The ramp has two cisterns: one which collects well water for storage before it is pumped through the home purification method, and another that collects rainwater and is used for the garden.
Palapa was used only for the house’s exterior. “It’s pretty unhealthy to consume under palapa, prepare meals or sleep under it, so we opted for flat concrete roofs all over the inside living spaces; palapa is only used over exterior terraces,” says House. The palapa roof above the primary home (above) is made from palm fronds over wood branches which are supported by tree trunks.
House + House Architects
A closer look at the ramps over the course of the day. “The ramps were created as a collection of pauses and sweeps throughout the garden. The ramps finally end at a four-sided terrace push toward the ocean, bridging back to the principal terraces at the upper floor of the home,” says House.
House + House Architects
The house stands at the end of a long, unpaved road in relative isolation. Although there are other houses nearby, the terraces and windows have been developed to catch the views of the ocean and desert — maybe not the neighbors. The landscape is breathtaking: a tropical desert involving the rocky Sierra de la Laguna Mountains and the Sea of Cortez. Casa Cabo Pulmo incorporates passive and active solar power, cross ventilation, convection and shading to produce the exterior and interior living spaces as comfy as possible without mechanical aid. “Remember this is within an environment where temperatures can soar and plummet between unbearable extremes,” says House. Enormous north windows and multiple shaded terraces and balconies catch the breeze for natural ventilation.
House + House Architects
In the carport, reed branches have been put over wood branches for shade. House used the natural features of the mountain and desert to complement the house’s geometric architectural components.
House + House Architects
The ceiling mounted tap found in this image lifts a disabled individual into and from their bed; the tap at the Cabo Pulmo home was the first time that House + House had made a tap into a home.
House + House Architects
The sharp angle of the photo is deceiving in the image above; the shower entrance here is broad enough for a wheelchair. Thresholds throughout the home are all flush for smooth wheelchair passage; bedrooms and baths are equipped with overhead tracks for a safe and comfortable transfer from wheelchair to bed or bathtub.
House + House Architects
Casa Cabo Pulmo’s inside sunset-color palette has been motivated by the site’s plant and setting. “Casa Cabo Pulmo introduced the homeowners to the way the building finds its place in its own landscape — a process which instills harmony not only in the building structure but at the inhabitants too,” says House.
House + House Architects
House + House Architects
The main living and sleeping spaces are on the upper floor to allow the owners to benefit from the magnificent views. A little kitchen (first image), guest suites (second image) along with the dining and living space are on the lower floor. Regions are divided by furniture and cabinets arrangement rather than walls.
House adds that her customers made the job a joy. “Pat and Deb understood the difficulties of building in this place, yet they kept their spirits high. Their joy at every detail and ongoing appreciation for our layout is extremely rewarding,” says House.
More:
Universal Design: Smart Interiors For All Clients of the Home
Developing a House that Works for Everybody