The One and Only Nautilus House
Yes. You are indeed looking at a shell. But the picture to your right is more than just a shell. It is the Nautilus House of Mexico.
Have you ever fancied living under the sea?
Or probably inside a shell?
This thought inspired the Mayorgas to create this marvelous nautilus shell home. This was fulfilled in 2006 through the help of Javier Senosiain (Arquitectura Organica), a celebrated Mexican architect. His work is considered both pioneering and controversial in the field of bioarchitecture.
This giant shell is located near Mexico City and is home to Magali and Fernando Mayorga and their two sons Allan and Josh.
The first thing that you will notice in this shell house is the beautifully created stain glass wall that gives a mosaic effect.
The inside is full of spirals and circular or concave chambers as you would expect to see in a giant mollusk. Upon entering the main door, you will pass through a long pathway that has an artificial stream running parallel to it. The pathway leads to the living room with plant covered floor.
The structure is earthquake friendly and easy to maintain because of the spiral shaped design plus the material and construction methods used to build it. It is also eco-friendly because it was constructed using a sprayed ceramic called Grancrete. This material is stronger than concrete, fire resistant and provides good insulation in both hot and cold climates.
According to Senosiain,
“This home’s social life flows inside the Nautilus without any division, a harmonic area in three dimensions where you can notice the continuous dynamic of the fourth dimension when moving in spiral over the stairs with a feeling of floating over the vegetation."
Photo Credit: Designrulz
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