descending down

Casa U is located in the suburbs of Mexico city on a steep hilly site overlooking the Valley of Mexico. Studio Materia questioned the typical sequence of a house, by placing the main entry via the roof which descends into the private and social spaces of the house. A large number of trees served for framing the house and giving it more privacy.

The exterior facade is sober and simple, hiding the house beyond and making evident the relationship between slope and horizon. The stair becomes the core of the project, acting as the material axis and a threshold of light. It distributes to all levels and spaces making use of landings with framed views, bringing the landscape into the interior at different scales. The steps are strategically longer in some sections to slow down the person and allow for amore conscious act of transitioning between levels.

The social level has access to the gardens is expressed with a heavier nature materials using black stone rhythmically divided by small ridges that provide a continuous play of light and shadow mimicking the volcanic local stone.