Located in San Luis Potosi, Mexico, at la Loma Country Club, the HMZ House by Architect Lucio Muniain is a two-storey home that showcases the sculptural beauty of concrete and its application in domestic architecture.
Designed for a family of six, the primary construction material is concrete embedded with a beton brut effect. Created using a formwork of rough wooden boards, the organic textures carry over from the exterior to the interior realm. Complimenting this is a restrained material palette that includes dark tzalam wood for fixtures and floors, and black steel for window frames and the library’s spiral staircase.
The architects note that sculpture has always been an important theme in the lifetime of the office. The office philosophy is further informed by concepts learned from the famed architect Luis Barragan.
Though best known for his works in bold colours and geometries, in this case, the architects focus on Barragan’s attention to ‘all the spaces nobody asks for’ - which in this case means arranging the home as more than a laundry list of rooms such as the bathroom, dining, room, kitchen, bedroom, etc. As such, spaces unfold slowly here, along interconnected pathways and atmospheres that vary from sober to dramatic, dark to light, transcending traditional living arrangements in a way that encourages the exploration of space.
The house is flooded by sunlight, but the grey hue of the concrete softens the Mexican sun, resulting in a subtle warmth, with minor texture changes highlighted by calculated openings.
The main bedroom is located in a private niche, allowing for at-grade access when the clients reach retirement age. The remainder of the floor is a series of airy, interconnected spaces. Each space has views over the golf course, and there are multiple ways to open the whole floor plan up to create a sense of connection and extended space.
