Header: Onnis Luque
The residential property in Valle de Bravo, Mexico, is designed with landscape in mind. Envisioned as an architectural sculpture, the house engages in conversation with the surrounding space. Controlled openings, patios, and black concrete walls are unveiled in the valley, seeking to alter and define the surrounding space.
Monolithic structure inspired by the landscape
The house located at the centre of a large plot in the State of Mexico takes advantage of the site’s flat topographic conditions, within an extension of a whopping 10,000 m². The distant mountains and lavish vegetation inspired the design that interacts with natural topography and the changing light of the valley. The geometry, mass, and sculptural quality of the house are inspired by the client’s deep passion for spatial experiences. The black colour of the concrete was intentionally chosen to blend the architecture with the tones of the landscape and surrounding organic forms, while simultaneously underpinning the monolithic character.
Long contemplative corridors
A continuous wall that starts lower and rises to the top, accompanied by water that descends from stairways, defining the street access to the building. Water, vegetation, and controlled openings determine the view of the surroundings while providing a contemplative touch to the path that leads to the centre of the house.
Social and common areas are located on the west side. These spaces connect at the corners through patios filled with lush vegetation that extend into the interior, creating a continuous relationship with the surrounding landscape along the building’s entire horizontal length. The private bedrooms on the east side are organised through long corridors. Their layout is shaped around interconnected nodes and long passages designed for circulation and quiet contemplation.
Intimate space rooted in its surroundings
Openings in the roofs and walls allow sunlight and rain to enter, creating changing atmospheres and sensory experiences throughout the day and night. By subdividing the house and redefining one of its sides, the designers created a space that feels more approachable and intimate. Large glazed openings extend the living areas toward outdoor terraces and decks, blurring the boundary between inside and outside. The house is conceived as a sequence of thresholds, where patios, gardens, and covered outdoor spaces become part of everyday life, keeping the inhabitants constantly connected to the natural surroundings.
Taller Alberto Calleja’s (TAC) proposal is developed on two angular volumes. The black concrete volumes connect the house to the landscape, characterised by a mountain and lush greenery. Through interaction between the building’s geometry, mass, and design, the light, shadows, and the surrounding nature, the building gets its final concrete visual appeal.
Technical sheet
Architects: TAC Taller Alberto Calleja
Location: Valle de Bravo, Estado de México
Area: 1300 m²
Photos: Onnis Luque
Interior Design: AGO Projects
Landscaping: Entorno Taller de Paisaje
