Photography: Rafael Gamo

Structural Design: Grupo BVG

Engineering: Grupo BVG

Landscaping: Olympia Frangos

Property Area: 325 m2 / 3,498 square feet

Floor Area Ratio: 171 m2 / 1,840 square feet

Construction: 608 m2 / 6,544 square feet

Press Distribution: v2com

This is a street view of the house featuring its modern and bright exterior walls adorned with a large pine tree on the side.

This is a closer look at the front of the house with dark windows and a dark set of garage doors that contrast the bright beige exterior walls.

This is a back view of the house showcasing the large glass doors of the ground level and the upper level paired with wrought-iron railings for the balcony.

This look at the back of the house showcases the bright beige exterior walls, structures and columns of the house adorned by the grass lawn and the tall trees.

This is a closer look at the landscaping that complements the exteriors of the house with flowering shrubs and grass lawn.

This view of the back of the house shows the tall tree that reaches up to the top floor of the house that has trellises.

This corner of the backyard showcases a flowering plant that adorns the bright beige exterior walls and glass walls.

This other side of the backyard has a narrow wooden walkway adorned with large potted plants and glass walls.

This is a look at the top floor of the house that has a fire pit at the far end next to the outdoor grilling station adorned with potted plants.

This other look at the top floor shows the built-in bench on the side by the planters filled with shrubs. These are then topped with a set of bright beige trellises that match the exterior walls.

This is the living room area with a hardwood flooring that extends to the built-in wooden structure surrounding the fireplace at the far end.

A few steps from the living room area is the kitchen with a large light gray kitchen kitchen island that matches perfectly with the surrounding modern cabinetry that houses the stainless steel appliances.

This other view of the kitchen shows the stove housed by the island's countertop. These are then complemented by the large glass wall on the far end.

This is a look at the entryway on the side of the kitchen island leading to the living room area that has a hardwood flooring to match the bright walls and glass walls.

This is a look at the bedroom that has a built-in bench on the far side by the large glass wall with a view of the landscape outside.

This is the halllway leading from the living room area. You can see here the wooden tone of the walls match with the hardwood flooring that is illuminated by the white ceiling and glass walls.

This is a look at the side of the living room area with a built-in cabinetry of drawers on the side of the entryway to the kitchen area.

This is one of the bathrooms that has a dark gray marble tone to the walls and its vanity countertop adorned with a mirror and sconces.

This other bathroom has bright white marble to its floor, walls and the bathtub housing at the far end by a narrow window. Next to it is the glass-enclosed shower area across from the floating vanity.

This is an illustrative representation of the property showing the basement floor plan.

This is an illustrative representation of the property showing the ground floor plan.

This is an illustrative representation of the property showing the second floor plan.

This is an illustrative representation of the property showing the rooftop floor plan.

This is an illustrative representation of the front and back elevation of the house.

The house is located on a corner in the West side of Mexico City. It responds to three key premises: the preservation of previously existing trees as core elements of the project, the isolation from the street’s inherent transit, and the incorporation of an ample architectural program on a plot with limited dimensions.

Within its clearly urban environment, the sense of privacy is successfully achieved thanks to a monolithic and nearly blind façade which extends out the street, only interrupted by some openings at specific modules for lighting and ventilation purposes, which respond to the interior’s architectural design plan. In contrast, the South façade is more open, offering a broad view of the garden and its long-standing trees, while it bathes the interior of the house in light and provides natural landscapes to each and every habitable area.

The house responds to a structural order consisting of base, body, and capital. Its exterior evinces such order through the use of white exposed concrete structural elements that crown the openings, work as enclosures, and clearly define the house’s levels. The limestone articulation covering the façade is the result of its distribution, which regulates the architectural volume and, in itself, responds to a canvas that adds rhythm within the façade’s assemblage.

A transition threshold that works as a hinge-connection between the exterior and the interior leads to the main entrance situated on one of the sides of the construction. The central space consisting of living room, dining room, and kitchen opens up to a full view of the garden and its impressive visual core element: a three-trunk Peruvian Peppertree, which proudly steals the spotlight as this land’s five-decade guardian.

The vertical circulation indicates the path towards the family area and the most private areas of the house, always framed by exterior garden views. The second floor accommodates the main terrace, topped by a white concrete pergola, as the tree canopy weaves and blends with the structure’s beams, creating a light and shadow grid.

This is how we define this project’s intentions: discovering evergreen views of the garden in sequential order, while the limits of the architectural creation fade into its immediate natural context.

A neutral color palette in the interiors, along with natural-source illumination generate a spatial quality that promotes a calm atmosphere and reaffirms the project’s residential character.

H E M A A team

Andrea Motilla

Fernanda Quintana

Agustín Vera

José Pedro López González

Alejandra Tornel

José Miguel Fainsod

Santiago Hernández Matos

About HEMAA

HEMAA is an architecture firm based in Mexico City founded in 2010, committed to the profound understanding of habitable spaces focusing on design quality, execution and atmospherics.

HEMAA believes architecture is about the experience of connecting people with the inmediate enviroment. They create sequences of interconnected space where they carefully manipulate materials, light and shadows creating a dialogue with the assembly of the architectural elements that compose a sense of place as a whole.