Casa MOC, Zapopan House, Contemporary Mexican Home, Mexico Building, Architecture Images

Casa MOC in Zapopan, México

Modern Property Development in Jalisco, México design by ELÍAS RIZO ARQUITECTOS

6 Apr 2017

Casa MOC Zapopan

Design: ELÍAS RIZO ARQUITECTOS

Location: Zapopan, Jalisco, México

Casa MOC in Jalisco, México

Casa MOC was built in an affluent area of Zapopan, set on a patently urban context and at the same time surrounded by dense remnants of a lush forest. The commission came with a wellestablished program and no restraints for creative development. Our goal, as in any other residential project, was to imbue the house with the personality of its inhabitants, to create a spatial extension of its users.

The site is located on an elevated street corner and offers great views of the city and the surrounding greenery. This became a driving parameter in the design of the house. Some of the main considerations in the project were the views and a gradient of privacy in the house that would also spark an engaging dialogue with its surroundings and the exterior.
The house consists in two adjacent volumes.

The first volume is expressed as an exposed concrete shell that is visible from both streets. On the North side, a bold concrete wall appears punctured with two window grids that rise above the property wall, which faces a sloping street. A white garage door grants vehicular access to the site at the bottom end of the wall.

Pedestrian access is provided at the higher end of the north wall. On the west front of the house the concrete volume becomes transparent and reveals a stairway behind a large window front, shaded by a screen made of horizontal aluminum slats. The second volume is rather discreet white envelope with greater transparency. The material palette throughout the project is austere. The raw texture of the formwork on the concrete plays the main role in the house and the rest of the surfaces on the house, white and pales, display a more discreet disposition.

On the ground floor the main entry opens to a generous vestibule which connects to the stairwell, kitchen as well as living and dining areas. The second floor houses all dormitories and a family room right by the stair. The master bedroom spans out above an outdoor terrace that extends from the living room below. Floor to ceiling windows provide access to a large balcony to the east and reveal a privileged panoramic view of the city beyond. A large overhang which shelters the balcony shades the bedroom from the morning sun. All 3 bedrooms have their own balcony and bathroom. The concrete shell is seen to enclose program on a third level which houses a play room and opens up to a roof terrace above the master suite.