CASA MEXICO | TW/A The Workshop Arquitectos

From an excellent taste for the California Colonial Architecture from de 30’s, comes the proposal to TW/Architects, leaded by the architect José Larroa-Fink, to restore the 1929 house with the purpose of being adapted into the needs of our times, including a housing program which could integrate daily life and sense of art.

The project is the result of a deep research and restoration focused into a house that was used by an art collector. The main premise of the project for TW/A in charge of Larroa-Fink was maintaining the original architecture of the house, researching the origins and styles in order to modernize them but respecting and not modifying the original design.

The house goes from 300 to 500 square meters divided in three levels and a new volume with raw material finish which gives a sense of modernity and eclecticism to the project.

A natural flow is created along the house where different spaces are discovered while going through the project revealing attractive places and exterior views. The kitchen is an important space within the project because it was a small area that was transformed into a place to cook but with a sense of a sharing and meeting area.

The living and dining room will be room of several pieces of art of famous and acclaimed artists. In addition, these areas create a framed view towards the indoor garden and Parque México (Mexico Park) at the outdoor.

The main foyer of the house becomes itself into a gray marble staircase with white veins that flows, throughout a triple height, into a projection room focused in the seventh classic art and cult. Between it, there is a 50 cm corridor that leads into a studio with an outdoor view to the park. In front of this room there is the master bedroom, the most intimate space, which keeps luxury in views and materials.

Another stairs lead to a studio which has a service area and a desk with the best view of the house, the treetops of Parque México.

The combination of steel, glass and concrete create a module at the rear garden which inside holds a spa with sauna, steam and rain showers which is connected to a high class gym. The last part of this module is a simple structural bridge which is embedded in Ricardo Dantan’s house to precisely create the merge of the different times and so continue and complete the internal path of the house.

In this project, the architect Larroa-Fink with technological gadgets achieved to involve the whole house in order to function in an automatized and digital way by creating different atmospheres and scenes with the lightning of art pieces, music and video in every monitor in order to watch movies and have video input. All this information is stored in a hidden server inside a cabinet.

Much of the original furniture was restored. Finishes and views were looked after and it was made a strong work on handcrafted details.

The house keeps respect towards its original architect, the original finishes and, in addition, the characteristic details of TW/Architects with the quality of the people who collaborate within their projects

Original Project: Engineer Ricardo Dantan.

Architectural Design and Interiors: TW/Architects by José Larroa-Fink

Location: Mexico City, Condesa.

Area: 511 m2.

Construction: Architect Axel Alfonso Nava.

Collaboration Team: José Larroa-Fink, Bernardo Martínez, Martín Roa.

Photography: José Bracho