Dezeen Magazine

Casa LL by RA!

RA! turns Mexican house in on itself with interior courtyards

Local studio RA! has created a blocky house called Casa LL with polystyrene panels and concrete in Tepoztlán, Mexico.

The 481-square meter (5,178-square foot) home was completed by the Mexico City-based team of Cristóbal Ramírez de Aguilar, Pedro Ramírez de Aguilar and Santiago Sierra, who lead RA!.

Located on a lot under the cliffs of Tepozteco, the "geometric composition of the house responds to a fragmentation of prisms that join and separate to shape its internal spaces," the team said.

Exterior view of Casa LL by RA!
RA! have designed a Mexican house made out of polystyrene panels and concrete

"They come together to create amplitude and disperse to retreat into solitude."

Using concrete that plays off the hues of the surrounding mountains, the sections of the house were designed to resemble stones from the cliffs – but sculpted for habitation.

The concrete was applied to a three-dimensional wire structure that wrapped expanded polystyrene panels to create an insulated wall assembly.

Courtyard of Casa LL
The single-storey Casa LL is oriented inward to a set of internal courtyards and passageways

The result is a sand-coloured monolith with board-formed impressions on one side and smooth texture on the other.

With now exterior-facing windows, the single-story home is oriented inward towards internal courtyards and passageways.

"Each of the volumes denies the views from the street, thus creating the volumetric gesture through which the house begins to be discovered," the team said.

The separated program blocks are in a roughly L-shaped form, opening the house to the surrounding mountains.

Entering at the corner of the L, residents walk into a small courtyard surrounded by service spaces, a home gym and a free-floating studio block.

Courtyard of Casa LL
The concrete sand-coloured monolith structure of Casa LL resembles cliff sculpted for habitation

To the right of the entrance is a separate family suite with three bedrooms, two bathrooms and a small kitchen and living room. All of the spaces look towards the main backyard through sliding glass doors.

Moving directly forward from the entrance, residents enter the main portion of the house with a large kitchen, dining and living space open to the garden through floor-to-ceiling windows.

Garden view of Casa LL by RA!
After crossing the property's alleys, an expansion reveals the vast garden that overlooks surrounding mountains

"Once crossing the access alleys between the large blocks that compress us and guide us inside, a transition occurs where there is a brutal expansion towards the generous garden and the view of the mountains," the studio said.

A library-style family room and outdoor dining space connect to a third courtyard tucked into the corner of the property.

The primary suite sits on the far side of the plan with glazing on either side to open to the main garden and a smaller, more private garden.

The large bathroom with twin walk-in closets holds the edge of the house.

Family room of Casa LL
A library-style family room and living area connects to a third courtyard in the corner of the property

Narrow plantings along both the exterior walls and interior courtyard spaces create the impression that the walls of the house were raised straight out of the ground, according to the studio.

Previously, RA! designed a restaurant with a bar shaped like an upside-down pyramid and another restaurant that was clad in broken white tiles, both in Mexico City.

The photography is by Mariana Achach.


Project credits:

Architecture: RA!
Design team: Cristóbal Ramírez de Aguilar, Pedro Ramírez de Aguilar, Santiago Sierra, Daniel Martínez, Lourdes Gamez
Materials: Covintec, Cemex
MEP Engineering: Antonio Villarreal
Structural Engineering: Daniel Manzanares

More images and plans

Plan of Casa LL by RA!
Ground Floor plan of Casa LL by RA!
Plan of Casa LL by RA!
Sections of Casa LL by RA!
Sketch of Casa LL by RA!
Floor Plan sketch of Casa LL by RA!
Casa LL by RA!
Casa LL by RA!
Casa LL by RA!
Casa LL by RA!