overhanging concrete volumes & wooden lattice complete 'bacatete house' in mexico

combining overhanging concrete volumes with wooden lattice elements, rima arquitectura has completed a three-story family home in mexico city, mexico. dubbed ‘bacatete house’, the project is governed by the idea of creating an urban home that transports you to a different place, away from the city, through a sensory experience, where indoor and outdoor spaces merge and coexist harmoniously. 

all images by frank lynen

rima arquitectura has created an environment in which both the interior and the exterior spaces are closely interlinked. this was achieved by designing gardens that surround the house and create paths between nature and the building materials themselves, such as wood, stone, exposed concrete, carbon steel plate and glass. in this way, the outdoor paths, although simple, delineate a shift away from the city.

as far as the materiality is concerned, rich, warm, and primitive textures have been applied to the exterior, while the interior is characterized as simpler and more sophisticated. the ground floor provides access to the driveway, footpath, main foyer and service entrance, all of which are located at opposite ends of the property. in addition, it houses the common and social areas, including the living and dining room, study, kitchen, and guest bathroom.

the first floor contains three bedrooms, each with its own bathroom and dressing room, a TV room and a double height terrace in the center of the built footprint. the second story contains the main bedroom with a lounge area, dressing room, and a terrace facing the best view of the valley. the basement contains a covered parking area, a wine cellar, gym, two service bedrooms with a bathroom, one utility room, a machine room, and a garden that provides natural light and ventilation to the living spaces.

to meet the objectives of the concept, rima arquitectura used light structural elements that would allow the floor plan to accommodate all the design parameters without limiting the formal or architectural scope. the structural system includes steel columns and girders set on an angle and PTR, as well as solid slabs of reinforced concrete. meanwhile, the two cantilevered bodies used vierendeel truss frames.

project info:

name: bacatete house

architecture office: rima arquitectura

location: mexico city, mexico

land surface: 614 m2

built surface: 990 m2 

designboom has received this project from our ‘DIY submissions‘ feature, where we welcome our readers to submit their own work for publication. see more project submissions from our readers here.

edited by: myrto katsikopoulou | designboom