Stacked house in Mexico City with a cool garden oasis

Architect Yuri Zagorin Alazraki of Mexico City based studio ZD+A designed this fascinating three-story stacked house with an amazing garden oasis in 2011. The personal residence of the architect, it is located in the Lomas de Chapultepec neighborhood of Mexico City, where an undesirable site produces desirable results. The property was very narrow and sits at a cumbersome slope, squished between neighbors on either side, with soaring walls casting deep shadows. Incredibly, the 5,080 square foot home was designed with interior spaces that generate a seamless connection with the sunlit exterior gardens. Just as impressive, the architect was able to capture substantial amounts of natural light into areas that would seem impossible to achieve. Applying clever tricks such as reflective white resin flooring, an open concept layout, and southerly facing light wells, as well as a pair of oculi installed in the rooftop garden, diffusing natural light down to an almost subterranean ground level. The ground floor was the most difficult level to draw light, therefore being the most impressive in design. A stepped garden makes its way down to the ground floor, where the main living space is. At the opposing end of the space is a generous-sized patio with vines covering the walls, filtering in light, fresh air and lots of greenery.

When the glass paneled wall of the living room is open, it feels like an extension of the outdoor space. Further increasing the indoor-outdoor connection, the rough-hewn interior concrete walls continue through to the exterior facade, mimicking the ruggedness of the stones embedded in the garden.  We love how the architect has been able to penetrate light into his home at all levels, and how the garden feels like it is a part of the home, so when you are inside, you feel like you are outside. Just a super cool design, very well thought out, one of our personal favorites! What do you think, please leave your thoughts in the comments section below the photo tour.

If you are looking for more inspiration from fascinating homes in Mexico City, we have some other great features here on 1 Kindesign such as: Modern restoration and renovation in Mexico City by Ezequiel Farca and Casa ML in Mexico City designed for open and casual living.

All the flooring running throughout the interiors is concrete. There are also no doors to be found on the first two levels, except for the daughter’s room, she stays with the architect part-time. On the second level there is a sitting area with floor-to-ceiling windows. Outside is a green roof which helps make the indoor-outdoor space feel like one large, bright space.

The third level was designed like a steel cage, most of which is cantilevered over the back garden. This is where the en-suite master bedroom and private terrace are situated. Light penetrates the spaces and is a nice quite oasis for the architect to spend his time.

Photos: Dwell & Yoshihiro Koitani, Rafael Gamo

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