An aromatic garden enfolds this Mexico City house by Manuel Cervantes
A private residence in Mexico City by local architecture firm Manuel Cervantes Estudio makes the most out of the striking ravine-side site and existing flora to create a ceramic-clad home that is contemporary but also at one with the outdoors
- (opens in new tab)
- (opens in new tab)
- (opens in new tab)
- Sign up to our newsletter Newsletter

Mexican architecture studio Manuel Cervantes has a growing portfolio of context-sensitive work under its belt, including private houses, infrastructure and commercial projects; all schemes designed with particular attention to their site and built and natural environment, employing generous proportions, natural, local material and architectural cues rooted in their locale. The firm's latest residential offering, a private house in a busy, Mexico City neighbourhood, is no exception.
The project sits on a narrow fronted plot, sloping towards a nearby ravine. With a site spanning just 14m on the street side but a striking 77m long towards the ravine, the architects were immediately faced with a key problem: how could they bring natural light deep into the building, while making the most of the surface that was available to build on?
The answer was breaking up the house into different volumes, while working with the site's existing flora – notably an old Jacaranda tree – to create open air courtyards filled with aromatic plants and a rich garden that would allow the internal spaces to breathe and interconnect. The composition includes three discrete volumes.
One volume's ground level contains living spaces that overlook and merge with the outdoors via openable glazing; while upstairs are a family room and several bedrooms. A second volume contains the kitchen, and a third one hosts a study. Warm woods line the interior, also framing some of the key openings.
The complex is clad in soft, cream coloured ceramic tiles, bringing all the volumes together in a coherent whole; a treatment that creates a tactile, natural backdrop for the foliage that takes centre stage outside, engulfing the house in nature.
INFORMATION
manuelcervantes.com.mx (opens in new tab)
Ellie Stathaki is the Architecture Editor at Wallpaper*. She trained as an architect at the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki in Greece and studied architectural history at the Bartlett in London. Now an established journalist, she has been a member of the Wallpaper* team since 2006, visiting buildings across the globe and interviewing leading architects such as Tadao Ando and Rem Koolhaas. Ellie has also taken part in judging panels, moderated events, curated shows and contributed in books, such as The Contemporary House (Thames & Hudson, 2018) and Glenn Sestig Architecture Diary (2020).
-
Masa Gallery launches inaugural Mexico City space with new solo show
Brian Thoreen and Mario García Torres are unveiling solo shows at Masa Gallery’s permanent new home in the heart of Mexico City
By Hannah Silver • Published
-
Boucheron rethinks a royal brooch for high jewellery rich in regal references
The new high jewellery collection from Boucheron, ‘Histoire de Style, Like a Queen’, is inspired by Princess Elizabeth’s 18th birthday gift
By Hannah Silver • Published
-
Ma Yansong on global architecture and MAD’s year ahead
We talk to MAD’s Ma Yansong about his thriving studio, global architecture and the year ahead
By Magali Robathan • Published
-
Home and art gallery Maison Colbert is a London transformation story
Maison Colbert by Chris Dyson Architects reimagines a row of London houses into a single home and artist's gallery in the East End
By Marwa El Mubark • Published
-
This slim Condesa house in Mexico City blends rawness and nature
Casa Parras, a Condesa house in Mexico City, is the brainchild of two studios – Alberto Kalach’s TAX and Emilio A Cohen's Tow Va Bow
By Ellie Stathaki • Published
-
Modernist architecture: inspiration from across the globe
Modernist architecture has had a tremendous influence on today’s built environment, making these midcentury marvels some of the most closely studied 20th-century buildings; check back soon for new additions to our list
By Ellie Stathaki • Published
-
Mumbai apartment by Rajiv Saini is the perfect Malabar Hill bolthole
A Mumbai apartment designed by Rajiv Saini blends indoors and outdoors at the top of a Malabar Hill block
By Ellie Stathaki • Published
-
A pair of Costa Rican retreats brings a refined aesthetic to a spectacular site
Formafatal designs a pair of Costa Rican retreats; two minimalist villas for a maximalist plot in the heart of the jungle
By Jonathan Bell • Published
-
Contemporary bridge design connecting worlds
The world’s most extraordinary bridge design, showcasing the finest blend of architecture and engineering, from Italy to the US and the UK. Cross these bridges when you come to them!
By Ellie Stathaki • Published
-
Hosono House is an urban retreat in the heart of San Francisco
Hosono House by Ryan Leidner Architecture blends minimalism, nature and an awkward plot to craft a modern urban retreat in the middle of San Francisco
By Ellie Stathaki • Published
-
A Kolkata home’s cavernous interior is dominated by curves
Cavernous is a Kolkata home by Nitin Barchha and Pooja Bihani designed around its curves
By Daven Wu • Published