El Humedal / TAAR / Taller de Arquitectura de Alto Rendimiento

Architect: TAAR / Taller de Arquitectura de Alto Rendimiento
Location: Calle 5 de Mayo 300, Sta Maria Ahuacatlan, 51200 Valle de Bravo, Méx., Mexico
Architect In Charge: Carlos Ruiz Galindo Ripol, Isaac Cielak Grynberg
Special Facilities: Entorno Taller de Paisaje, BIOe
Area: 791.0 m2
Project Year: 2013
Photographer: Rafael Gamo

“El Humedal (The Wetland)” is an environmental research facility that tries to re-shape the relationship between human beings and their environment in a way that it becomes reciprocal in all aspects.

The research center analyses, documents and processes everything that comes from the edible forest and orchard in order to gather knowledge about the benefits of this ecosystems and its vast resources.

This project was conceived under the no-waste and net-zero principles, which means that the building generates a 100% of the resources that it needs to operate and does it in a closed loop.

El Humedal features an edible forest, a constructed wetland and an organic orchard; it can harvest 130,000 liters of rain water for internal use; it can treat sewage water through biological powered treatment plants; it generates compost from human feces and forest pruning; it uses thermos-solar panels to warm water and photovoltaic panels to generate all the electricity it needs to operate.

The architectural design is place based reflecting local culture, it uses a high percentage of local and recycled materials that are harmless to humans and the environment, that were selected for their thermal and esthetical characteristics.