House for a Writer is a project that emerges from a central courtyard that organizes and gives meaning to all the surrounding spaces. It revisits the traditional concept of the “patio” house, where a bookshelf —the main feature rising through the double-height central space— becomes the axis that links the various activities of the home, all revolving around the act of writing.

The house was conceived to focus the views towards the central “patio-library” space, and prioritizing cross ventilation that allows air to flow through all the rooms opening onto the patio, bringing freshness to the project.

The project is designed as a stone-like volume closed off to the exterior, seeking the privacy inherent to the writer’s craft, and opening only toward its own interior. The volumetry arises from the superposition of stone-like blocks, where subtle gestures and shifts, emphasized by the texture of exposed concrete, create plays of light and shadows throughout the day.

The social areas, service spaces, and the creative workspace, which opens onto the patio, are on the ground floor. The second-floor houses three bedrooms, where the master bedroom opens onto a private interior patio, shielding it from the outside world and emphasizing its introspective nature while letting light and air in. On the third level is the family space for gathering and work, which opens onto a terrace; from there, the stone volume, that contains the staircase with a sculptural character that connects the three levels, seems to rise and look out over the neighborhood.

The project is built primarily with natural and exposed materials, chosen for their ability to age gracefully and require minimal maintenance. The pigmented exposed concrete acts as a canvas that transforms over time, where nature and the weather gradually imprint their marks, creating a patina that becomes an integral part of the house’s character and identity.

Zapopan, Jalisco, México

Built Area / 316 m2 

Architecture / em-estudio _ Francisco Javier Esqueda Martínez + Ivan Esqueda Martínez 

Design team / Berenice Galindo _ Miguel García _ Karen Villalvazo
Carpentry / TIKKA

Landscape / Perimetral

Furniture / CB4U
CCTV / Domointeli
Kitchen/ Cookstation
Photography / Lorena Darquea

Year / 2025