* Residential Architecture: Casa Alta by AS/D Asociación de Diseño

Residential Architecture:  Casa Alta by AS/D Asociación de Diseño: “..Hundreds of perforations are dotted across the monolithic facade of this weekend house outside Mexico City by AS/D Asociación de Diseño..The architects were inspired by the shapes of surrounding trees to create the patterns, which provide a simple relief across walls clad with Trespa rainscreen panels..Named Casa Alta, the three-storey building has a tower-like form that is set into the sloping landscape of its valley setting..“The building became an observation tower house and this allowed the perforated tree image to be better read from the facade,”..The building’s entrance leads into a living room on the middle floor, while the kitchen and dining area is located below and the bedroom and bathroom can be found upstairs..Stairs also lead up from the bedroom to a wooden deck on the roof. “We had to come up with a sliding deck which could open and close, but also have a minimum impact on the overall volume, said Velasco.  The deck slides closed over the bedroom to complete the wooden floor, resulting in a larger surface to enjoy the view.”..”  Interesting  perforated dark cladding and interior volumes..

image: Rafael Gamo; article: Dezeen

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* Residential Architecture: Pixel 57 House by Darkitectura

Residential Architecture: Pixel 57 House by Darkitectura: “..Located south of Mexico City, Mexico, with a lakeside subsurface inheritance of the legendary Aztec lake, it develops this 480m2 duplex in a slim residual plot..Given the extensive program that customers requested, the 2 houses are resolved intertwined and interspersed within the maximum permissible restrictions, generating a large cube that blends with its dense urban environment “kitsch-ecléctico-chilango” developed in the 70′s and 80′s..The cube floats to accommodate the access, parking and green areas, it’s separated from their adjacencies to become transparent, giving way to natural light and vertical circulation; also it’s subtracted to create a courtyard and as the exterior faces they parametrically pixel to locate the windows, balconies and skylights. The materials used on the facades cause a scene of brightness and opacity, reflections and shadows that combined with the irregularity of some canopies enhance the effect of asymmetry..Hanging from the top of the rear facade, a staircase reminiscent of a New York alley leads to the roof terrace that houses a pair of fake containers superimposed for services, this in the midst of a huge terrace where grows a micro-forest of “liquidambares”, typical tree species of the area. This terrace reinforces the idea of roofs used as a method for reforestation of the city and gradually improves the quality of life for users to have these spaces, denied in 90% of the outbuildings that are volumetrically similar..”  Extensive glazing, patterned fenestration, skylights, abundant natural light; interesting interior volumes, details..

See our post on another home by Darkitectura: Residential Architecture: La Casa del Lobo by Darkitectura.

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image: © Yoshihiro Koitani; article: Rosenberg , Andrew . “Pixel 57 / Darkitectura” 19 Nov 2010. ArchDaily.  <http://www.archdaily.com/89432&gt;

* Residential Architecture: La Casa del Lobo by Darkitectura

Residential Architecture: La Casa del Lobo by Darkitectura: “..Located near the Lago de Guadalupe in Cuautitlan-Izcalli, where the urban aspect of greater Mexico City, Mexico, begins to fade, this house has an introspective character, with just one balcony overlooking the lake from the master bedroom. The rest is an interplay of cubes contained within the principal box formed by the surrounding walls..Two solids cubes float on the upper level above three transparent ones. The solid cubes preserve the privacy of the bedrooms, illuminated by subtle openings where the walls meet the ceiling and by vertical incisions on the eastern facade. The glass cubes contain the common areas, vestibule, kitchen, dining room, and a double-height living room. These cubes are also divided by a reflecting pool at basement level, creating the constant impression that the most transparent area of all – the living room – is floating..The surrounding box serves to contain a private garden all around the house. On the eastern facade the contradiction of the transparent cubes supporting the solid ones can be clearly read, and the irony goes even further: the volumetric arrangement is floating and sustained, so that the vertical openings on the upper floor combine with the ground-floor windows to create a playful bar code effect. In this way, the interior of the house is broken into lines overseas movements into codes. A time code, a light code of light. (Text provided by Darkitectura)..”  Extensive glazing, natural light; interesting form, interior volumes, materiality, fenestration and details..

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© Jorge Taboada; article: Henry , Christopher . “La Casa del Lobo / Darkitectura” 11 Oct 2011. ArchDaily. <http://www.archdaily.com/174720&gt;

* Residential Architecture: Casa RO by Elías Rizo Arquitectos

Residential Architecture: Casa RO by Elías Rizo Arquitectos: “..The site is located in a well established residential area. This house built in the 60’s, with its straight lines, honest distribution, communication with the exterior, and usage of materials, represents the architecture of its time. All these hints help the author decipher the project and set in motion arduous work of intervening while respecting its essence..The project consists in the restoration of the old house, which was really deteriorated. The house had several failed previous interventions, but there was a lot to rescue. It begins with the demolition of some of the adjacent areas, maintaining almost all the original flooring on the ground floor, mainly because of all the new installations. It´s all about precise work demanded by these particular clients: a young family with a unique way of living and perceiving architecture..The house revolves around two main spaces, the double height foyer and the terrace. The foyer is restored and destined to become a sculptural area. The new terrace is where the family interacts and spends most part of the day..One of the main goals was to create a warm space distanced from current architectural stereotypes and trends. The materials used become the main protagonists of space: wood as the prevailing material in facades and interiors, or stone which was selected complement with the one already in place..The site´s orientation defines the design of the facades, a translucent skin that solves the solar radiation for the bedrooms, acquiring a duality between an open space and an isolated one..”  Extensive glazing, natural light; interesting materiality and interior volumes; indoor / outdoor sensibility..

See our posts on three other homes by Elías Rizo Arquitectos:

• Residential Architecture: TOC House by Elías Rizo Arquitectos
• Residential Architecture: Casa RO Tapalpa by Elías Rizo Arquitectos
• Residential Architecture: Casa Almare by Elías Rizo Arquitectos

image: © Marcos García; article: King , Victoria . “Casa RO / Elías Rizo Arquitectos” 14 Feb 2012. ArchDaily. <http://www.archdaily.com/206851&gt;