rojkind arquitectos echoes the rocky landscape of mexico with its amanali house

rojkind arquitectos organizes a clustered series of volumes in the design of its recently completed amanali house. the project, characterized by its rusticated materiality and bold, rocky geometries, is situated north of mexico city near tepeji del rio — a town whose name comes from the aztec nahuatl language ‘boulders’ on the river. with its mild weather year-round, the historic town had developed over its history to become a quiet place of retreat for the people of mexico city. the amanali house offers such a retreat, favoring an atmosphere among nature with no distinct boundaries between its interior and its natural surroundings. the project is designed as a garden and residential space that are one and the same.

all images © jaime navarro

mexico city-based rojkind arquitectos realizes its amanali house to visually recall the natural conditions of its context. five prismatic volumes, conceived to echo the namesake boulders of tepeji del rio, are clad in a dark, porous, locally sourced stone. these volumes are individually programmed to separate the living area, kitchen-dining area, and bedrooms. while circulation is shifted entirely to the exterior, the collection of volumes are connected by a meandering outdoor walking path. the near-rectangular plot slopes downward, overlooking a nearby golf course and offering views of the reservoir and the distant mountains. upon its approach, the house is discovered gradually as visitors descend from the level of the street and though an intimate alleyway which introduces the atmosphere of a medieval town on a hill.

rojkind arquitectos’ newly built amanali house expresses the formal design language for which the studio is known. similar to the studio’s 2018-built foro boca concert hall in coastal mexico, the house in tepeji del rio presents a cluster of strong, faceted geometies in dialogue with one another. each volume is visually connected though large glazed apertures with retractable frames that open outward to its own private outdoor terrace surrounded by a green landscape all its own. the performative walls, clad in dark stone, function as thermal collectors trapping heat from the sun during the day and releasing it at night while the interior temperature is regulated by natural cross ventilation. all materials are locally sourced while the landscape elements are indigenous to the area.

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project info:

project title: amanali house

architecture: michel rojkind, gerardo salinas

design team: alfredo hernández, gad peralta, herminio gonzález, victoria grossi, bárbara trujillo, adrián aguilar, scarlet baron de grote, adrián krezlik, beatriz zavala, daniel gaytán, andrea león, rosalba rojas, lorena garcía cordero sasía

location: tepeji del río, hidalgo, méxico

structural engineer: juan felipe heredia mellado

MEP: gesa arquitectura

landscape consultant: entorno taller de paisaje

lighting consultant: ditto iluminación

photography: jaime navarro