Nestled in a richly green, wooded area on the slopes of a ravine, Hill house is the latest residential offering by Mexican architecture studio Manuel Cervantes Estudio. Seamlessly embedded into the landscape and set partially underground, this Mexican home was designed around its vistas, and serves as a contemporary, minimalist viewing platform from which to enjoy the surrounding nature.
Another key factor that drove the design solution and building placement was climate, which can range from hot to pretty cold throughout the year in this part of rural Mexico. Large openings are balanced by timber screens and pergolas, which filter light but also block chilly gusts. The openings’ orientation was indeed largely dictated by the local light and winds, as well as the site's terrain. ‘The structure is semi-buried to the north and exposed towards the south, which is the orientation with the best views and where the largest windows are located,’ the architecture team explain.
A pathway at the entrance of the site leads down to the house, where an entry courtyard connects the composition's two key volumes – one containing the communal areas and master bedroom, and another with four more bedrooms. Internal, open-air patios dot the floorplan, offering light and a connection with the outdoors throughout the extensive property. Meanwhile, a pool house and a separate family room are located in separate, smaller volumes, linked to the main house by generous terraces and walkways.
Cervantes’ masterful mix of masonry walls, metallic beams and exposed wood – a combination he’s often used in the past, for example in his own home in Mexico City – affords a tactile, organic feel both inside and out. This feeling of being close to nature and natural materials is underlined by a series of strategies that promote sustainable architecture, such as rain water collection and reuse, adopted for the construction.
Balancing an extensive programme and generous size with a discreet, low profile, large outdoor areas and windows, and an environmentally friendly attitude, Hill House becomes just what its authors intended – the perfect Mexican home from which to enjoy its picturesque setting.
INFORMATION
manuelcervantes.com.mx
-
The bespoke Jaguar E-Type GTO melds elements from every era of the classic sports carECD Automotive Design’s one-off commission caters to a client who wanted to combine the greatest hits of Jaguar’s E-Type along with modern conveniences and more power
-
Casa Sanlorenzo debuts in Venice as a new hub for contemporary artThe luxury yachting leader unveils a stunning new space in a palazzo restored by Piero Lissoni – where art, innovation, and sustainability come together
-
Once vacant, London's grand department stores are getting a new lease on lifeThanks to imaginative redevelopment, these historic landmarks are being rebonr as residences, offices, gyms and restaurants. Here's what's behind the trend
-
In Quintana Roo, a park mesmerises with its geometric pavilionA Mexican events venue in the state of Quintana Roo rings the changes with a year-round pavilion that fosters a strong connection between its users and nature
-
Casa La Paz is a private retreat in Baja California full of texture and theatricsLudwig Godefroy designed Casa La Paz in Baja California, Mexico to create deep connections between the home and its surroundings
-
Pedro y Juana's take on architecture: 'We want to level the playing field’Mexico City-based architects Pedro y Juana bring their transdisciplinary, participatory approach to the Mexico pavilion at the Venice Architecture Biennale 2025; find out more
-
Tour the wonderful homes of ‘Casa Mexicana’, an ode to residential architecture in Mexico‘Casa Mexicana’ is a new book celebrating the country’s residential architecture, highlighting its influence across the world
-
A barrel vault rooftop adds drama to these homes in Mexico CityExplore Mariano Azuela 194, a housing project by Bloqe Arquitetura, which celebrates Mexico City's Santa Maria la Ribera neighbourhood
-
Explore a minimalist, non-religious ceremony space in the Baja California DesertSpiritual Enclosure, a minimalist, non-religious ceremony space designed by Ruben Valdez in Mexico's Baja California Desert, offers flexibility and calm
-
La Cuadra: Luis Barragán’s Mexico modernist icon enters a new chapterLa Cuadra San Cristóbal by Luis Barragán is reborn through a Fundación Fernando Romero initiative in Mexico City; we meet with the foundation's founder, architect and design curator Fernando Romero to discuss the plans
-
Enjoy whale watching from this east coast villa in Mexico, a contemporary oceanside gemEast coast villa Casa Tupika in Riviera Nayarit, Mexico, is designed by architecture studios BLANCASMORAN and Rzero to be in harmony with its coastal and tropical context
