Cherem Arquitectos builds rammed-earth house in Mexican highlands
A+Awards: we're launching a major collaboration with Architizer profiling winners from its A+Awards. First up is this house in the Mexican highlands, with rammed-earth walls made from soil excavated on site (+ slideshow).
![Casa Candelaria by Cherem Arquitectos](https://static.dezeen.com/uploads/2016/07/casa-candelaria-cherem-arquitectos-san-miguel-de-allende-mexico_dezeen_936_5.jpg)
Casa Candelaria by the Mexico City-based firm is located on the outskirts of San Miguel de Allende, a city in Mexico's central highlands.
![Casa Candelaria by Cherem Arquitectos](https://static.dezeen.com/uploads/2016/07/casa-candelaria-cherem-arquitectos-san-miguel-de-allende-mexico_dezeen_936_8.jpg)
The design of the 1,50o square-metre home is based on the traditional Mexican hacienda, with living areas arranged around courtyards.
![Casa Candelaria by Cherem Arquitectos](https://static.dezeen.com/uploads/2016/07/casa-candelaria-cherem-arquitectos-san-miguel-de-allende-mexico_dezeen_936_2.jpg)
The 50-centimetre-thick rammed-earth walls are made using soil that was excavated directly from the site, with natural pigments added to create an ash-toned finish.
![Casa Candelaria by Cherem Arquitectos](https://static.dezeen.com/uploads/2016/07/casa-candelaria-cherem-arquitectos-san-miguel-de-allende-mexico_dezeen_936_10.jpg)
This material helps insulate the house in an area where the temperature can drop dramatically at night.
Using materials sourced on site also helped reduce the cost of the project.
![Casa Candelaria by Cherem Arquitectos](https://static.dezeen.com/uploads/2016/07/casa-candelaria-cherem-arquitectos-san-miguel-de-allende-mexico_dezeen_936_9.jpg)
The house is split into four main volumes, with a central courtyard that has a concrete roof structure.
![Casa Candelaria by Cherem Arquitectos](https://static.dezeen.com/uploads/2016/07/casa-candelaria-cherem-arquitectos-san-miguel-de-allende-mexico_dezeen_936_0.jpg)
Inside, the floors and fittings are made from parota wood, also known as Guanacaste wood after one of the central-American region it grows in. The same wood is used on the full-height window shutters.
![Casa Candelaria by Cherem Arquitectos](https://static.dezeen.com/uploads/2016/07/casa-candelaria-cherem-arquitectos-san-miguel-de-allende-mexico_dezeen_936_6.jpg)
Casa Candelaria was one of winners of the Private House (1,000 to 3,000 square foot) category at the 2016 Architizer A+Awards, which promote and celebrate the year's best architecture and products.
Find out more about the A+Awards »
Other projects by Cherem Arqutectos include a corrugated concrete house for a family of four just outside Mexico City.