The evolution of contemporary residential architecture is increasingly defined by the negotiation between built form and its immediate environment. Cárpatos, a residence designed by Ignacio Urquiza Arquitectos in Mexico City, is a refined exercise in this dialogue. Working within strict urban constraints, the project utilizes spatial voids, material transparency, and an integrated landscape strategy to dissolve the boundaries between interior and exterior.
Cárpatos House Technical Information
- Architects1-11: Ignacio Urquiza Arquitectos
- Interior Design: Vieyra Estudio
- Location: Mexico City, Mexico
- Site Area: 400 m²
- Built Area: 700 m² | 7,530 Sq. Ft.
- Construction Year: 2022
- Photographs: © Rafael Gamo, © Estudio Urquiza (Ignacio Urquiza), © Arturo Arrieta
The intention is to camouflage the house with the immediate surroundings; the glazing system, along with the light gray stucco, calms the light in the interior and gives the cold and rigid volume a feeling of unexpected warmth.
– Ignacio Urquiza Arquitectos
Cárpatos House Photographs
Cárpatos House Design Intent
Situated in a low-density residential district of Mexico City, Cárpatos responds to zoning regulations that limit construction to one residence per 1,000 m². However, the site—subdivided prior to these restrictions—presents unique spatial challenges, measuring only 10 meters in width and 40 meters in depth. These dimensional constraints, coupled with stringent setback requirements (5 meters at the front and rear, 3 meters on the sides), dictated the volumetric configuration of the house.
Rather than viewing these regulations as limitations, the design team leveraged them as generative forces shaping the architectural strategy. The intent was to maximize interior space while fostering a seamless relationship with the exterior. A perimeter garden—conceived as a cloud forest—envelops the structure, creating a microclimate that regulates temperature and enhances the sensory experience of the home. At the center, a vertical courtyard introduces another layer of permeability, reinforcing the dialogue between enclosure and openness.
Spatial Organization and Architectural Composition
The house is organized across four levels, each responding to a specific programmatic function while maintaining a cohesive spatial narrative. The basement accommodates auxiliary spaces such as a gym, office, children’s play area, and wine cellar—functions that require privacy and thermal stability.
On the ground floor, the home’s social areas are arranged in direct relationship with the surrounding garden, emphasizing fluid movement and a sense of expansiveness within the narrow site. The second floor houses three bedrooms, structured around the central void to ensure natural ventilation and daylight penetration. Above, the rooftop terrace extends the living space, integrating play areas for children and offering panoramic views over the surrounding urban fabric.
Circulation within Cárpatos is defined by a sequence of voids—both horizontal and vertical—that fragment the house’s massing. Double-height spaces, bridges, and covered terraces introduce a dynamic interplay of compression and release, allowing occupants to experience an ever-shifting perception of volume and enclosure. This strategy mitigates the inherent rigidity of the box-like form, creating a simultaneously structured and fluid architecture.
Materiality, Light, and Perception
A duality between solidity and lightness, opacity and reflection characterizes material selection in Cárpatos. The primary structural framework consists of steel, chosen for its capacity to enable large spans while maintaining a degree of visual lightness. Glass, in turn, is deployed not merely as a means of enclosure but as an active participant in the building’s atmospheric conditions. The blue-green tinted glazing functions as a reflective surface, capturing the sky, landscape, and adjacent structures, thereby transforming the house throughout the day.
The façade’s stucco finish, rendered in a subdued gray tone, interacts with light to soften the structure’s materiality. This muted palette was deliberately selected from Le Corbusier’s Pantone series, chosen to harmonize with the lush greenery of the surrounding landscape. The juxtaposition of raw, industrial materials with softer, organic elements creates a nuanced dialogue between the built environment and nature.
Internally, the composition of materials is equally considered. Interior designer Lorena Vieyra’s layering of textures—ranging from polished concrete floors to soft furnishings—produces an interplay of tactile contrasts. Curtains, used as a mediating element between interior and exterior conditions, modulate light and give the spaces a sense of depth. This careful curation of materials ensures that the house, despite its rigid geometries, maintains a feeling of warmth and inhabitable comfort.
Cárpatos House Plans
Cárpatos House Image Gallery
About Ignacio Urquiza
Ignacio Urquiza is a Mexican architect and founder of IUA Ignacio Urquiza Arquitectos. He is known for his context-driven approach that integrates structure, materiality, and landscape. His work emphasizes spatial fluidity, natural light, and the relationship between architecture and its surroundings, creating functional and poetic projects.
Credits and Additional Notes
- Architectural Firm: IUA Ignacio Urquiza Arquitectos
- Architect in Charge: Ignacio Urquiza Seoane
- Lead Architect: Ignacio Urquiza Seoane
- Design Team: Ana Laura Ochoa, Anet Carmona, Michela Lostia di Santa Sofia
- Interior Design Firm: Vieyra Estudio
- Interior Designer: Lorena Vieyra
- Interior Design Team: Jimena Trejo
- Structure: Moncad, Jorge Cadena
- Engineering: IE Ortega, Enrique Ortega
- Firm: Aldaba Jardines
- Landscape Architect: Thalia Davidoff
