Large glass doors pivot from the walls of this stone-walled residence, which sits at the foot of the Tepozteco Mountain just south of Mexico City .
Casa Meztitla was developed by Mexico City firm EDAA as a holiday and retirement home for a couple in their sixties, who also desired space to entertain their extended family and buddies.
The property is set against the backdrop of the rocky Tepozteco Mountain and the nationwide parkland that borders Tepoztlán, a town approximately 50 miles south of Mexico City.
The remnants of an ancient temple – dedicated to the Aztec god of alcohol and fertility – are perched on the mountaintop, generating the location a common tourism spot.
Responding to this setting, EDAA chose volcanic stone for the walls of the property, matching the tones of the mountain landscape. This is accompanied by large expanses of glazing, while concrete floor slabs create courtyards and rooftop patios.
“The web site was picked by me, in a type of ‘find a wonderful website and construct a house’ commission,” explained studio founder Luis Arturo García.
“I selected this site, very first, due to its non-costly expense at that time. 2nd, because of its extraordinary all-natural landscape and its proximity to El Tepozteco mountain national park.”
“The house, created out of rough stone, crawls lower underneath the trees, aligned with the vegetated-covered stone slopes,” he added. “The intention of the resources is to age naturally and blend with the context.”
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The large expanses of steel-framed glazing pivot open from a sunken L-shaped living space into the surrounding gardens, although four bedrooms with glass walls have access to concrete patios with brightly coloured hammocks, situated in the centre of the residence.
“I needed this to be a house that would in no way near itself, that would be continuously opened and in touch with nature,” García informed Dezeen.”The thought of possessing the opening been closed by rotatory glass walls was a excellent solution.”
Flowering plants tumble over the exposed concrete and lime-rendered walls of the courtyards, although the monolithic white box that types the upper storey emerges over the tree canopy.
This block consists of an further dining area with accessibility to the rooftop terraces. An external metal staircase and passageway connects the dining area with terraces on the roofs of the decrease floor block.
White cement and lime plaster walls enclose each of the rooms inside, even though floors are manufactured from polished concrete and carpentry from oiled pine and plywood.
The area experiences an abundance of rain during the summertime months. The rain that falls on the site is collected by two reservoirs that provide the house with water.
The 1st – found beneath a lawn in the courtyard – harvests and filters rainwater used for drinking, showering and laundry.
The second is a circular reservoir that is open to the elements. It collects used tap water that is stripped of soap and oils, before becoming diverted back to the house for flushing toilets and irrigating the gardens.
“This storm-water management captures each drop of rain that touches the home, utilizes it in different methods, and does not allow a drop out,” explained the architect.
“This open reservoir is a fragile but effective ecosystem – it is balanced by means of water plants, fish and an electrical pump for water to be in consistent motion,” said the architect.
For the duration of the drought season when fresh water sources are scarce, this open pool attracts wildlife. There is also a lengthy narrow swimming pool for the residents.
Undertaking credits:
Architecture: EDAA
Architect in charge: Luis Arturo García
Layout staff: Juan Hernández, Jahir Villanueva, Antonio Rivas, Ana Fernanda Rodríguez
Development group: Hans Álvarez, Yolibel Allende
Website plan 
Ground floor strategy 
Very first floor plan 
Sections 
Sections Dezeen
