VR Tapalpa House
Marcos García
Product Spec Sheet

ElementBrandProduct Name
ToiletsVilleroy & Boch AG
Lighting BTicino
FaucetsDornbracht
Wall Cisterns and flushing systemsGeberit
WashbasinsStanza

Product Spec Sheet
Toilets
Lighting
by BTicino
Faucets
Wall Cisterns and flushing systems
by Geberit
Washbasins
by Stanza

VR Tapalpa House

Elías Rizo Arquitectos as Architects

Casa VR, located in a secluded area near the town of Tapalpa, is an exercise in clarity and functionality. The program is arranged on four quadrants, which are defined by the intersection of two main circulation axes. Within this system, spaces are distributed according to privacy requirements and affinity. The design of the house was driven by the desire to allow it to connect with the outdoors and to converse with its regional context using a contemporary vocabulary: the building affords ample views and is accessible through various entry points, while its stark geometry is expressed with local materials and rustic finishes that were executed with precision.

photo_credit Marcos García
Marcos García
photo_credit Marcos García
Marcos García

The house appears as a horizontal element inserted in a forest clearing, surrounded by pines and oaks. The building’s front façade is fairly opaque and has few openings. At the back of the house, however, the walls become windows or non-existent, to allow daylight in and to take in the views of a large lawn and the landscape beyond. A long circulation axis that runs north – south bisects the house’s rectangular footprint, while a wide entry vestibule splits the building transversally and mediates between the private and public areas of the house.

photo_credit Marcos García
Marcos García
photo_credit Marcos García
Marcos García

Within the private (south) block, the longitudinal passageway divides the program into two distinct zones. The southeast quadrant contains 3 bedrooms, each fitted with its own bathroom, and a family room; the southwest quadrant houses the service spaces, a stairway and the garage. On the second level, the master suite spreads out across both quadrants and provides private access to a generous roof terrace. In the public (north) block of the house, the longitudinal axis becomes a permeable window membrane that can be hidden away to fuse the northeast and northwest quadrants; these contain the outdoor veranda and the kitchen, dining and living cluster, respectively.

photo_credit Marcos García
Marcos García
photo_credit Marcos García
Marcos García

The materials were articulated with great care. The construction consists mainly of a series of masonry walls built from stone of local extraction. The private (north) wing of the house is roofed by a concrete slab while the public areas are sheltered by a tiled roof atop wood decking, supported by a series of wooden beams. A steel frame lifts the eaves to create an inward slope on the roof. Aside from the ceiling on public areas, wood is also used on cabinetry, on window frames and as sheathing for the master suite block. Steel accents are visible in various places throughout the house, like the stair railings, the roof planter-parapet, and the frame at the open end of the second floor volume.

Caption
Caption

Read story in DeutschItalianoPortuguês and Français

Project Spotlight
Product Spotlight
News
Nokha Village Community Centre by Sanjay Puri Architects is an architectural oasis in the desert
18 Mar 2024 News
Nokha Village Community Centre by Sanjay Puri Architects is an architectural oasis in the desert

Mumbai-based Sanjay Puri Architects has completed the Nokha Village Community Centre, an architectur... More

Square and Tourist Office: Emerging finalist in Mies van der Rohe Awards 2024
15 Mar 2024 News
Square and Tourist Office: Emerging finalist in Mies van der Rohe Awards 2024

In this Archello series, we look at each of the seven nominated projects (five architecture finalist... More

25 best mosaic wall tile manufacturers
15 Mar 2024 Specification
25 best mosaic wall tile manufacturers

Mosaic wall tiles are produced in an enormous range of colors, shapes and finishes, and from a varie... More

Introducing Partner Motion Facades
15 Mar 2024 Partner News
Introducing Partner Motion Facades

Motion Facades specializes in supplying advanced facade systems for luxury real estate projects. Its... More

Bergendy Cooke, Grégoire Du Pasquier, Ruth Baleiko and Mathew Albores join Archello Awards 2024 jury panel
15 Mar 2024 Archello Awards
Bergendy Cooke, Grégoire Du Pasquier, Ruth Baleiko and Mathew Albores join Archello Awards 2024 jury panel

Architects Bergendy Cooke, Grégoire Du Pasquier, Ruth Baleiko and Mathew Albores have been an... More

JSWD completes new office complex in Bonn unified by triangular facade elements
14 Mar 2024 News
JSWD completes new office complex in Bonn unified by triangular facade elements

International architectural firm JSWD has completed the Neuer Kanzlerplatz office complex in the cit... More

Archello Awards 2024 expands with 'Firm Awards'
14 Mar 2024 Archello Awards
Archello Awards 2024 expands with 'Firm Awards'

Today Archello introduces a new set of Firm Awards categories to widen the scope of the Archello Awa... More

Studio Egret West develops plans for new Passivhaus homes
13 Mar 2024 News
Studio Egret West develops plans for new Passivhaus homes

London-based multidisciplinary architecture and design practice Studio Egret West has developed plan... More