Main author
Michael BrooksNautilus House
See the full list of Unusual buildings of the week here.
Nautilus House, located near Mexico City, Mexico, is a whimsical shell-shaped house that is an extraordinary example of ‘bio-architecture’. The house was designed by Javier Senosiain of Arquitectura Organica, and inspired by the work of Gaudi and Frank Lloyd Wright.
The house was named after the shells of the nautilus cephalopod, the logarithmic spiral of which the building mimics with its curved concave shapes.
The structure was created using ferro-cement and consists of a frame of steel-enforced small-diameter chicken wire which is coated with a thin layer of concrete. This material weighs less than brick and is earthquake resistant.
The technique allows rounded natural curves to be formed, which avoids the necessity of bearing walls or columns. It offers continuity between the ground plane, walls and roof, creating the impression of the building emerging organically from the ground.
The house is illuminated with natural light from above as well as from the external wall which is lined with hundreds of small rainbow-coloured stained glass windows.
[edit] Find out more
[edit] Related articles on Designing Buildings Wiki
Featured articles and news
Costs and insolvencies mount for SMEs, despite growth
Construction sector under insolvency and wage bill pressure in part linked to National Insurance, says report.
The place for vitrified clay pipes in modern infrastructure
Why vitrified clay pipes are reclaiming their role in built projects.
Research by construction PR consultancy LMC published.
Roles and responsibilities of domestic clients
ACA Safety in Construction guide for domestic clients.
Fire door compliance in UK commercial buildings
Architect and manufacturer gives their low down.
Plumbing and heating for sustainability in new properties
Technical Engineer runs through changes in regulations, innovations in materials, and product systems.
Awareness of the Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism
What CBAM is and what to do about it.
The new towns and strategic environmental assessments
12 locations of the New Towns Taskforce reduced to 7 within the new towns draft programme and open consultation.
Buildings that changed the future of architecture. Book review.
The Sustainability Pathfinder© Handbook
Built environment agency launches free Pathfinder© tool to help businesses progress sustainability strategies.
Government outcome to the late payment consultation, ECA reacts.
IHBC 2025 Gus Astley Student Award winners
Work on the role of hewing in UK historic conservation a win for Jack Parker of Oxford Brookes University.
Future Homes Building Standards and plug-in solar
Parts F and L amendments, the availability of solar panels and industry responses.
How later living housing can help solve the housing crisis
Unlocking homes, unlocking lives.
Preparing safety case reports for HRBs under the BSA
A new practical guide to preparing structural inputs for safety cases and safety case reports published by IStructE.
Male construction workers and prostate cancer
CIOB and Prostate Cancer UK encourage awareness of prostate cancer risks, and what to do about it.