Stepped terraces, penetrating gardens, cantilevered volumes, and restraint apertures define the four-storey AYG House designed by Mexican architecture studio mta+v. The 1016 sqm concrete building is located in the municipality of Atizipán de Zaragoza, northwest of the metropolitan area of Mexico City. Originally intended to be a single-bedroom villa for a couple, the program's expansion to include various social spaces was done because of the potential vegetation within and around the site. Architect Miguel de la Torre together with Mexican landscape design firm Devas Paisaje intertwined the built form with softscape to evoke an inconspicuous lightness to the robust solidity of concrete. Hidden within the foliage of tall trees and sloping gardens that enclose the site, the residential architecture stands as its own lone world within the context.

"The conditions of the site gave us the opportunity to develop the design of a house that originally was only for two people; the owner did not require more than one bedroom nor any space for "social coexistence". However, a couple of additional spaces were added to the program in order to receive guests outside the house if needed,” shares mta+v. Instead of stacking the floors one above the other, the studio resorted to receding volumes offsetting passages, gardens, and terraces. This approach opened up not only a visual connection between different areas of the house, but also encouraged a sense of surprise, discovery and the essential privacy within the domestic layout.

The programs within the four levels of the house constitute the entrance, two bedrooms for guests and the social area that includes an open kitchen connected to the living room, dining room and terrace, a master bedroom for the owner-couple, and a creative area that has a music studio and a library. The social pockets of the house are weaved around gardens, terraces, and a porch.

The living spaces remain in constant dialogue not only with the outside spaces but also with the building’s surroundings. Pathways encircling pebbled gardens, a series of outdoor staircases connecting different levels, and a perimeter garden on the lower level double as mindful transitional spaces.

Concrete and metallic elements achieve a homogenous outlook of the house. A medley of cantilevered volumes, hovering platforms, minimal cleavings on the façade, and a permeating connection with nature further distinguish the built volume. “Casa AYG is an exercise to simplify the function, the use of the site's natural resources, and the possibility of camouflaging the construction to maintain as little impact on the site as possible,” concludes mta+v.

Previous Mexican houses featured on STIR include Ludwig Godefroy’s Casa enlos Cocos as a structure made of fragmented pavilions along water channels, Practice Arquitectura-designed Casa Ederlezi as an inward-looking single family home defined by interconnected gardens, and a pastel-toned urban haven called Casa Lorena by Workshop, Diseño y Construcción. Mexican studio Taller Gabriela Carrillo recently won the prestigious Royal Academy Dorfman Award 2023. STIR has also spoken to various Mexican architects in the past, which includes conversations with key figures such as Frida Escobedo, and Tatiana Bilbao.