Casa Catarina
by Taller Hector Barroso
Client Private
Award RIBA International Awards for Excellence 2024
"A single-family dwelling in Mexico that integrates seamlessly with its natural surroundings".
Located in the serene landscape of the Valle de Bravo, a popular holiday destination southwest of Mexico City, this fine single-family house is generated by and responds to the rugged natural features and topography of its site, appearing to emerge effortlessly from its natural surroundings.
With apparent ease, the architect has skilfully arranged a series of beautiful overlapping indoor and outdoor spaces that both negotiate the sloping terrain and embrace the surrounding landscape and views. The quality of detail, materials and construction are superb, resulting in a well-crafted house in complete harmony with the land it inhabits.
The clients had purchased a parcel of land with friends that had been zoned for housing, which they subdivided into plots sufficient to construct individual houses, but large enough to afford privacy from each other. This particular plot included a prominent rocky landmark, rising tall above the undulating ground, and the house is strategically positioned adjacent to this rocky feature.
The building’s plan is well organised, and is expressed as a collection of individual blocks arranged around a suite of central social spaces. From the entrance at the lowest level, signalled by a simple but effective canopied door, the living areas unfold as a series of light, airy spaces, including an arrival courtyard and a generous covered outdoor terrace with an adjacent pool, all enjoying the expansive views.
The bedroom blocks are then arranged in diagonal sequences moving back up the slope in 2 wings, their rhythmic serrated plans recalling the work of Jose Antonio Coderch, where the circulation becomes a dynamic spatial experience offering glimpses of the surrounding landscape. Each of the bedroom blocks contains both a well-proportioned sleeping room which engages with the views through corner windows, and an enclosed bathroom/dressing area with a modest and unexpected courtyard, flooding these more private spaces with light, and reinforcing the strong connection to nature that characterises the project.
The building form takes reference from the surrounding geological features, the whole assembly appearing as a collection of refined boulders, each lightly touching another. The house is single-storey with the exception of the master suite (closest to the rock) which has an additional level providing a living space and terrace, and providing a scale change that assists in embedding the house into its context.
Material choices are well-judged. Stone and rammed earth walls prevail, with timber-beamed ceilings and volcanic rock floors internally, enabling the house to blend with its natural surroundings in a sustainable way. The warm timber used for windows and interiors brings a further sense of domesticity, and everything is carefully and economically detailed, and precisely constructed using local craftspersons.
This is an elegant interpretation of a house that blends seamlessly with its particular surroundings. The architects have successfully used the natural resources of the location to create a unique and engaging piece of architecture, that integrates fully with its environment, and provides a beautiful series of spaces to be enjoyed by its users.
Location: Valle de Bravo, Mexico
Date of completion: 03/10/2022
Cost: Confidential
Gross internal area: 786 m²
Contractor: Taller AF
Landscape Architect: Hugo Sànchez Paisaje
Interior Design: Habitacion 116
Structural Engineer: DECSA
Installation Engineer: PROICO
