Location: Tepoztlán, Morelos, Mexico
Project Size: 6,900 square feet
Program: Tepoztlán House is a weekend house distributed on two floors and a rooftop. The main entrance on the first floor welcomes the user. The kitchen, hall, and dining room naturally integrate with the exterior. One guest bedroom and the service areas are also located on this floor. The second floor is composed of a great hall that leads to four more bedrooms, each one with its own bathroom. Communal spaces on both floors remain open towards the natural backdrop. The rooftop was designed to provide the user with an isolated space suitable for contemplation and dialogue with the landscape.
Solution: The house was designed with the reflection of the site’s identity as the main concept. The landscape blends with the materials, using the region’s vernacular construction systems. With its hourglass shape, the house communicates with its context through two receptacles connected between them, framing the outside view.
The front facade opens with enormous stone walls towards an old Amate tree that seems willing to enter the house. The entrance blends with the inner hall when opening the wooden mullions, creating a great vestibule that combines the interior with the exterior. At the center of the house, a round opening was formed between the slabs of the main hall, creating a connection with the sky through a reflecting pool. This results in an element of contemplation, also operating as a reflection of the passing of time. A regular flow of light is captured inside and moves through the course of the day. The surrounding garden composed by layers of vegetation expands itself towards the hills, blurring the borders of the premises and making it seem infinite.
Structure and Materials: The materials applied to the house were selected to convey the site’s identity as well as to utilize local labor. This selection includes local stone, natural stucco mixed with site soil, rusted steel, and solid wood. The structure is a hybrid system that consists of concrete bricks, concrete, and steel in order to create open spaces that communicate with the exterior. Terraces are formed by a metal structure.
Additional information
Completion date: September 2022
Site size: 0.3 acres
Total project cost: $ 799,000
Client: Alejandro Gutiérrez
Owner: Alejandro Gutiérrez
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Photos © Fabián Martínez Click to enlarge
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Credits
Architect:
Dosa Studio
Mérida 164 Roma Norte, Mexico City, Mexico
www.dosa.mx
Personnel in architect's firm who should receive special credit:
Design Lead: Sergio Sousa
Design Lead: Raúl Medina
Collaborator: Paola Monreal
Collaborator: Marcela Segovia
Collaborator: Abraham Servin
Collaborator: Sandra Ocampo
Graphic Design and Media: Guillermina Gocher
Architect of record:
Dosa Studio
Interior designer:
Dosa Studio
Engineers:
Engineer-architect: Alan Israel Labastida Medina
Consultants:
Landscape: Pholia Paisajismo Co. (Olympia Frangos)
Construction: Alan Israel Labastida Medina
Carpentry and metal: Primitivo Taller Co. (Sato Nishi)
Lighting: Play Lux Co. (Fausto Figueroa)
Furnishings: Ciento Once Co. (Elizabeth Pineda), Taller Nacional Co., and Nanimarquina Co.
General contractor:
Alan Israel Labastida Medina
Photographer:
Fabián Martínez
Specifications
Structural System
Manufacturer of any structural components unique to this project: Alan Israel Labastida Medina
Exterior Cladding
Masonry: Natural stucco mixed with site soil
Rainscreen: Fester
Wood: Parota wood
Other cladding unique to this project: Local stone
Roofing
Built-up roofing: Concrete slab
Tile/shingles: Clay tiles
Windows
Metal frame: Rusted steel
Glazing
Glass: 9mm laminated glass
Skylights: 9mm laminated glass
Insulated-panel or plastic glazing: 9mm laminated glass
Doors
Entrances: Rusted steel
Metal doors: Rusted steel
Wood doors: Parota and Tzalam wood
Sliding doors: Rusted steel and 9mm laminated glass
Hardware
Locksets: Made by local labor on-site with rusted steel
Pulls: Made by local labor on-site with rusted steel
Interior Finishes
Cabinetwork and custom woodwork: Parota and Tzalam wood
Wall coverings: Natural stucco mixed with site soil
Paneling: Parota wood
Resilient flooring: Concrete mixed with site soil
Furnishings
Reception furniture: Solid Tzalam wood
Fixed seating: Solid Tzalam wood
Chairs: Solid Tzalam wood
Tables: Solid Tzalam wood
Other furniture: Natural fiber rug
Lighting
Interior ambient lighting: iLumileds in ceiling
Exterior: iLumileds
Plumbing
Plumbing products: Rokam Co.
