Casa Caucaso’s striking geometry makes for an eye-catching family home. This three-storey residential property in Mexico City was created by JJRR Arquitetura for the practice’s own director – Jose Juan Rivera Rio – and his family of five. The carefully crafted design marks a strong contrast between its dynamic, brutalist exterior, and a warm and inviting interior atmosphere.
The site’s surrounding nature was key to the design development, with the architects aiming to create strong connections between inside and outside in several parts of the house. Brutalist references also helped mould the exterior’s graphic concrete shapes.
This also informed the material selection. A mixed palette of concrete, wood, marble, glass and mirrors was put together after maticulous research. Key criteria also included the material’s proximity to the site and its minimal maintenance requirements.
The construction sits on a raised foundation, lifted off the ground level by 1.3m. This gesture secures the best views for residents, offering them a front row seat to the sunsets that stretch over the cityscape and neighbouring mountains. A terrace, which acts as an extension of the living room, provides the ideal spot to take in the long vistas.
Take an interactive tour of Casa Caucaso
On the middle level – the house’s main living space – the dramatic double-height entrance lobby neighbours the home’s social spaces, which are oriented centrally and towards the west. The property’s east side contains a double bedroom. Carefully placed openings and views across levels create a sense of openness throughout.
Moving up towards the top floor via the stairs, residents are guided to cross a glass panelled bridge, which runs above the large lobby and into the spacious second storey. A wooden screen above it filters light through. This level houses the master bedroom and one more bedroom, each of which is accompanied by a terrace, en-suite bathroom and dressing room.
Tucked away in the lower ground floor are the house’s service areas, along with an especially generous garage, with enough space to accommodate up to six cars.
Don’t let the house’s powerfully geometric exterior fool you; the interior was designed to be warm and homely
The mixed palette of concrete, wood, marble, glass and mirrors was chosen for practical reasons; the different elements could be sourced locally and require minimal maintenance
A glass panelled bridge crosses the house’s large lobby and extends into the spacious top floor
A family bedroom sits on the property’s east side, opposite the house’s main living spaces to the west
The first storey houses the master bedroom and one more bedroom, each accompanied by a terrace, en-suite bathroom and dressing room
The construction sits on a 1.3m high raised foundation; the structure was lifted to provide its residents with a front row seat to the sunsets, stretching over the cityscape and neighbouring mountains
The house’s double height entrance lobby neighbours the living room and kitchen, which are oriented towards the west
The kitchen, located on the ground floor, provides easy access to the adjacent garden through a rotating glass door
The property’s picturesque views can be enjoyed from a large terrace that acts as an extension of the living room
For their design solution, the architects drew inspiration from the site’s surrounding nature
INFORMATION
For more information, visit the JJRR Arquitetura website
Photography: Nasser Malek Hernández
-
A Japanese maple adds quaint charm to a crisp, white house in SydneyBellevue Hill, a white house by Mathieson Architects, is a calm retreat layered with minimalism and sophistication
-
Be transported to an illegal Acid House rave by the Barbican's new immersive experienceVirtual reality, DJ sets, record label takeovers – it's all at the Barbican through to August. Craig McLean gets out his glowsticks
-
Wallpaper* checks in at Experimental Marais: a lush homecoming for the hospitality forceExperimental Group returns to its Parisian roots, where it opened its founding bar, to launch its first-ever flagship hotel, designed by Tristan Auer
-
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
