Casa Emma, designed by HW Studio, is a serene residential project in Morelia, Mexico. The house reflects the studio’s continuous exploration of emotional architecture, focusing on light and space as vehicles for calmness. The project draws direct inspiration from the Paula Rego Museum, designed by Eduardo Souto de Moura, where HW Studio’s principals experienced a deep sense of serenity through the careful use of light. Casa Emma channels this inspiration, transforming light into a central element that guides the design and emotional experience of the space.
Casa Emma Technical Information
- Architects1-18: HW Studio
- Location: Morelia, Michoacán, Mexico
- Area: 54.35 m2 | 585 Sq. Ft.
- Completion Year: 2024
- Photographs: © César Béjar
The firm’s intention with this project is to provide visitors with an experience that awakens emotions and invites contemplation, attempting to convey the same experience that they themselves experienced that day in Cascais.
– HW Studio Architects
Casa Emma Photographs
Architectural Exploration: Light as a Medium
Situated on a small plot measuring just 4 by 10 meters, Casa Emma presented challenges related to spatial efficiency, lighting, and ventilation. However, these constraints allowed HW Studio to explore verticality and zenithal lighting strategies. The result is a home that transcends its physical boundaries and offers an intimate connection between its inhabitants and the surrounding environment. The architects aimed to create a space that functions as a home and offers moments of reflection and peace, much like the experience they had at the Paula Rego Museum.
Light in Casa Emma is not merely a functional element but an emotional tool that defines the space. HW Studio carefully crafted the way natural light enters and moves through the house, recalling their encounter with the soft, golden light of the museum. Zenithal lighting, or light entering from above, is a key feature in the home, creating an ethereal atmosphere that evokes tranquility. By designing skylights and openings strategically, the architects allow sunlight to cascade gently into the rooms, enhancing the perception of space.
In the open-plan central area, which houses the living room, dining room, and kitchen, light flows uninterrupted, unifying the spaces and creating a seamless transition between them. The absence of interior divisions allows light to permeate the entire area, making the space feel larger and more welcoming. This concept starkly contrasts the typical compartmentalized house layouts, showing how lighting can guide movement and perception within a home.
Moreover, how light interacts with the materials is vital to achieving the architects’ vision. The warm tones of wood combined with the soft reflections of white surfaces allow the light to dance across the walls and floors, creating a dynamic yet soothing environment. This interplay of light and materiality offers the inhabitants a calming, almost meditative experience, much like the architects’ own transformative encounter in Cascais.
Materiality and Symbolism: The Troje Connection
Casa Emma is deeply rooted in the region’s cultural heritage, specifically drawing on the traditional Purepecha granary known as a Troje. HW Studio uses this cultural reference as the conceptual foundation of the design, seeing the house as an excavation exercise that carves out a symbolic void within the small site. The use of wood throughout the interior is a direct nod to the Troje’s materiality, imbuing the home with a sense of continuity and respect for tradition. The wooden interior not only reflects the cultural significance of the Troje but also enhances the emotional warmth of the space, making it feel grounded yet serene.
One of the standout features of Casa Emma is the mezzanine bedroom, which is the only element with a different materiality from the rest of the house. Here, HW Studio introduces a floating white volume that contrasts sharply with the wooden surfaces surrounding it. With its light material and reflective surfaces, this floating element is designed to appear almost weightless, like a piece of cotton suspended in the air. The architects cleverly use light to diffuse its boundaries, softening its presence and integrating it seamlessly into the overall composition. The floating white volume symbolizes a departure from the earthy tones of the rest of the house, offering a moment of contrast that enhances the ethereal quality of the space.
Casa Emma Plans
Casa Emma Image Gallery
About HW Studio
HW Studio is a Mexico-based architecture firm led by Rogelio Vallejo Bores, known for creating thoughtful, serene spaces that foster peace and contemplation. Emerging during a time of social unrest in Mexico, the studio’s design philosophy focuses on simplicity and eliminating the superfluous, aiming to evoke moments of inner calm through the careful study of context, materials, and light. Inspired by both local traditions and global architectural influences, HW Studio integrates the cultural, environmental, and emotional needs of its clients into timeless architectural solutions.
Notes & Additional Credits
- Lead Architects: Rogelio Vallejo Bores
- Architects: Oscar Didier Ascencio Castro, Nik Zaret Cervantes Ordaz
- Structural Engineering: ARGA Constructora
- Construction Company: Alberto Gallegos Negrete (Grupo GAPSE)
- Client: Alejandro Solís Hernández
- Site Area: 40.00 m²
- Budget: $120,000.00 USD
- Krion: Solid surface I 1100 Snow White
- Bastet Luxury Floors: Engineered oak wood I CHAMOX
- Interceramic: Porcelain floor tile I Lims® Ivory 75×150, Vanity I Atenas, Kitchen faucet I Matte white Pívot®, Bathroom faucet I Polished chrome Siena
- Bticino: Plates and switches I Living Now
- iLumiled: Floor luminaire I ILUEP1WWW, LED strip I 2216 2200 K
- Tecnolite: Digital timer I TT-158
- Steren: Video doorbell I CCTV-0990
- ERA: Electric grill I ERA PEI-4-60 black 110V
- Calorex: Electric water heater I PRO 40
- Altamira: Hydraulic pressure booster kit I PRES10, PRES-16-1115-230
- Tornado: Submersible water pump I KIN58-8/1230A
