Ignacio Urquiza Arquitectos perches Las Rocas, a series of homes on the mountaintops of Valle de Bravo. The original photography is from Onnis Luque.

Quoted from Mestizo Estudio Arquitectura. Las Rocas is a complex of four houses in the northern part of Valle de Bravo, known as La Peña. This elevated terrain has outcrops and endemic vegetation. The 6,400-m2 site was treated as an extension of the adjacent natural reserve, and the project seeks to respect and regenerate this environment.

A detailed and accurate site analysis was essential to determine where to position each house for minimal impact on the preexisting runoffs, rocks, and vegetation.

The project evolved from the study of the program: the idea was to create a dynamic system, generating different configurations to optimize compositions for each location. As a result, the four houses use the same modules and components but with unique layouts depending on their respective characteristics. The volumes are freely arranged in six directions (front, rear, above, below, left, right) in response to their specific situations. This simple and dynamic system blends the architecture into its natural context. These volumes do not touch each other; their separation creates voids, views, natural light, and ventilation to integrate them adequately within the site. In Las Rocas, a bathroom can be a stone, a tree a part of the roof, and the terrain itself a walkway or set of steps: nature defines the design.

As with many of our projects, the modules were designed separately in the studio and then mapped out on-site to define their ideal location. Once positioned, we added the furnishings, imagining the placement of doors and windows before connecting them to the corridor, a linear axis that acts as a horizontal and vertical circulation, with dimensions, measurements, and levels all depending on the location of each volume within the program. These circulation routes adapt the architecture to the site and not vice-versa.

The contrast between the closed volumes and the openness of the corridors is designed to stimulate different sensations when inhabiting these spaces: the enclosure of the sleeping area contrasts with the open circulation routes that relate directly to the local vegetation and rocky landscape. Apart from linking the different areas, the corridor captures southern light and local heat to regulate the houses' temperature thanks to the shadows thrown by the outcrops and the north-facing orientation of the residences.

The light-gray stucco finish for Las Rocas matches the predominant hue of the surrounding rocks. Only two other materials complement the project: textured stone flooring and glass, which is always flush with the exterior façades, matching the walls' smooth texture, in stark contrast to the surroundings, reflecting the surroundings and merging the house within its context. This color scheme allows a discreet and simple architecture: the composition of the solid volumes creates a sense of lightness; vegetation and nature are kept as the main elements. The houses stand out for their simplicity, creating a quiet built space to bring the context to the fore.