Located at Santa Anita Golf Club in Mexico, the Mountain House
is a family home designed by Agraz Arquitectos. The name not only reflects the landscape,
but references the immense challenge this project presented to its architects.
Emerging
from the mountain like a Bond villain’s house, the structure climbs over four
platforms. The bedrooms located on the top floor enjoy the most spectacular
views, due to the buildings location on the highest peak of La Primavera
Forest, in the last terrain of the Santa Anita suburb. The exploded four level
plan called for a connecting element, so the architects designed a continuous
staircase throughout the floors. This may threaten quite a climb when you
arrive at your car to realize you have left your keys on the bedside cabinet,
but fear not, a diagonal elevator has been installed to whisk you over the
distance.
Nestled
in the rock at the heart of the house, a wine cellar maintains perfectly
controlled temperature, humidity and light levels. Complete with wine bar, this
room leads off to the dining and living space via retractile doors. The social
area transforms when an entire wall of glass doors are drawn back to connect
with patio areas, making the inside an outdoor space, allowing the seasons to
decorate.
We think
that the clean, contemporary lines achieved on this vast, sloping plot made
Agraz Arquitectos worthy winners of the National Academy of Architecture silver
medal for Architectural Quality of the Project. They definitely conquered the
mountain!
