Stunning revamp for Mexican home
Intricate U shaping creates right and left wings that wrap around swimming pool
A previous, “quite unfortunate” renovation on a 30-year-old family home in central Mexico prompted architects to suggest that they just tear it down and start anew.
But the owner of the house, located on the golf course Club Campestre la Rosita in the city of Torreon, had grown up in the house and wanted to keep it.
So architects at Arqmov Workshop were given the challenge of re-creating the residence 300 kilometres west of Monterrey for the owner, his wife and three children.
The interior was gutted and the ceiling/floor of the first two storeys was demolished to create a new, double height for the architect’s modern creation: Casa SFA, dubbed with the family’s initials. The 10,000-squarefoot home was redesigned in a Ushape to include a right and left wing wrapping around the pool.
The left wing includes the kitchen and breakfast area, with a clear view of a putting green at the golf course. There’s also a small dining room, library, pantry and wine cellar. The two-storey living room boasts large windows opening out to the pool. An open staircase from the living room streams in natural light from above and leads up to the second-floor lounge and bar.
In the house’s central space is a family room, with TV and entertainment areas, that looks out onto the pool deck, barbecue and dining area.
The right wing of the home contains the master bedroom and kids’ rooms. With a 360-degree, panoramic view, the master has a private gym, a massage room, a sitting room and office area, as well as a walk-in closet and ensuite bathroom.
A combination of concrete and brick was used in Casa SFA that took nearly two years to design and build, and was completed in 2015 for nearly $2 million. Floors were finished with marble and hardwood, and on the walls a selection of walnut, wallpaper stucco and Mayan stone. The home also has solar panels.
Architect Fabio Correa, at Arqmov Workshop, in Mexico City, answered a few questions about Casa SFA:
What inspired you in the design of this home?
I’d say the site on the golf course with its beautiful view was inspiring. But it was also our client’s family — their dreams and expectations of their new house. People expect that you can fulfil their dreams.
What were the challenges?
We were dealing with the original construction before the renovation and the structure was made of concrete — it was in good shape. We tried to give each room a view to the golf course and the way we did this was to give the house a floor plan in a U-shape.
We needed a screen between the main hall entrance and the family room — something that wasn’t heavy looking, like a wall . . . It’s the first thing you see when you enter the house, so the importance of this design was vital. It’s a singular piece with wooden pieces stacked to form a pattern to provide visual movement and let the light partially go through.
Looking in from the outside, the home appears to have halos?
Those halos are the Henge Light Ring fixtures hanging from the double-height celling in the living room. It is an important design element — not only for illuminating the area, but from the outside at night you can enjoy the reflections of them in the central swimming pool.
How did you maximize illumination?
Natural light is very important to this project. The pool is located in the centre court of the house, with the house laid out around it. The house is oriented to the south so we have sunlight all day.
There are big windows with great views of the golf course. We planted trees to accommodate the homeowner so that in the summer they give protection and shade and in the winter the sunlight goes through the trees. We also have domes (skylights) in the bathrooms and specific areas where we wanted privacy but natural light. That, along with the selection of finishes, makes a play of light and shadow bringing out textures and creating emotions.