Mexico
Completed 2013
The Casa del Rio was designed and built as a projection of the clients design acumen, modern taste and love of art. The building tradition and zoning in Mexico is such that no setback is required from the property line which allowed for a fortified structure; as security is a requirement for the client, the strength and presence of the board-formed concrete exterior is as much a necessity as it is part of the Mexican lexicon of building and creates a house that engulfs the lot and gives way to an internal hierarchy of a central courtyard and then a terraced topography that steps down and out several times to the pool house at the final estuary level. By contrast, the interior is nuanced and cultured and designed to exhibit the clients’ art collection and sense of space and materiality. THIRLWALL laid out the interior of the residence as a reflection of the clients’ lifestyle and personality and their presence is very much built into the experience of the design from the public to the private sectors of the home. THIRLWALL’s consistent concept of a rugged exterior of glass and concrete coupled with a luxurious and lavish interior rings true in this project more than any other. Concrete is contrasted with the finest furnishings globally available from Poltrona Frau, BDDW, Ceccotti, Flexform, Tacchini, Glas Italia, and Acerbis with custom integrated paneling in teak wood by Laura Meroni and stone Vaselli travertine panels rendered in 3D from designer photos of the adjacent estuary. The master closet covering over 1500sq’ is Molteni with Porro and antique accents and plumbing throughout is Dornbract, Falper and Antonio Lupi. The house has a 60’ long living room/dining room with an adjacent double height art gallery that is a full 30’ tall with a glass curtain wall system facing the water, custom 12’ tall sliding glass doors allow one to open all outward and inner courtyard facing facades to permit passive cooling of the home in the winter. The home’s structure is based on the premise that all parallel shear walls are cast concrete and all opposing bracing is made up of chrome columns, a rationale that gives the home a unique character. The home under air is 22,000sq'/2000m2.
The landscape was intended to encompass the house in a traditional Renaissance “outdoor room” fashion and steps down the hillside via six interconnecting terraces to a middle level terrace partially covered by a 30’ concrete cantilevered platform that also brings a water course with it from the inner courtyard. Below this is housed a His and Her restrooms, a gym, and a full outdoor kitchen, bar and dining area that can host up to 40 seated guests; the final and lowest level is a pool house with an indoor living area, spa and outdoor kitchen and bar and 2 pools set at different temperatures with the final spout of the watercourse emptying into the lap pool ending the emblematic course and core of the home.
The interior furnishings and surface materials were designed entirely and sourced by THIRLWALL and imported for the client.