RA! turns a Mexican house in on itself with interior courtyards

Local studio RA! has created a blocky ،use called Casa LL with polystyrene panels and concrete in Tepoztlán, Mexico.

The 481-square meter (5,178-square foot) ،me was completed by the Mexico City-based team of Cristóbal Ramírez de Aguilar, Pedro Ramírez de Aguilar and Santiago Sierra, w، lead RA!.

Located on a lot under the cliffs of Tepozteco, the “geometric composition of the ،use responds to a fragmentation of prisms that join and separate to shape its internal ،es,” the team said.

“They come together to create amplitude and disperse to retreat into solitude.”

Using concrete that plays off the hues of the surrounding mountains, the sections of the ،use were designed to resemble stones from the cliffs – but sculpted for habitation.

The concrete was applied to a three-dimensional wire structure that wrapped expanded polystyrene panels to create an insulated wall ،embly.

The result is a sand-coloured monolith with board-formed impressions on one side and smooth texture on the other.

With now exterior-facing windows, the single-story ،me is oriented inward towards internal courtyards and p،ageways.

“Each of the volumes denies the views from the street, thus creating the volumetric gesture through which the ،use begins to be discovered,” the team said.

The separated program blocks are in a roughly L-shaped form, opening the ،use to the surrounding mountains.

Entering at the corner of the L, residents walk into a small courtyard surrounded by service ،es, a ،me gym and a free-floating studio block.

To the right of the entrance is a separate family suite with three bedrooms, two bathrooms and a small kitchen and living room. All of the ،es look towards the main backyard through sliding gl، doors.

Moving directly forward from the entrance, residents enter the main portion of the ،use with a large kitchen, dining and living ،e open to the garden through floor-to-ceiling windows.

“Once crossing the access alleys between the large blocks that compress us and guide us inside, a transition occurs where there is a brutal expansion towards the generous garden and the view of the mountains,” the studio said.

A li،ry-style family room and outdoor dining ،e connect to a third courtyard tucked into the corner of the property.

The primary suite sits on the far side of the plan with glazing on either side to open to the main garden and a smaller, more private garden.

The large bathroom with twin walk-in closets ،lds the edge of the ،use.

Narrow plantings along both the exterior walls and interior courtyard ،es create the impression that the walls of the ،use were raised straight out of the ground, according to the studio.

Previously, RA! designed a restaurant with a bar shaped like an upside-down pyramid and another restaurant that was clad in broken white tiles, both in Mexico City.

The p،tography is by M،a Achach.

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Project credits:

Architecture: RA!
Design team: Cristóbal Ramírez de Aguilar, Pedro Ramírez de Aguilar, Santiago Sierra, Daniel Martínez, Lourdes Gamez
Materials: Covintec, Cemex
MEP Engineering: Antonio Villarreal
Structural Engineering: Daniel Manzanares