Vernacular Modernism: 7 Contemporary Homes in Rural Mexico

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Although urban centers in Mexico are rapidly undergoing tremendous growth, development and transformation, ways of life in rural communities are also in flux. Some contemporary architects are trying to design new ways of living in these spaces. The Mexican landscape is as diverse as the architectural styles that grew out of it, making for unique challenges with every project. Architects are merging these traditions with the influence of international modernism, environmental design and new methods of construction, to create structures which not only change the landscape around it, but which entirely rethink the relationship between the home and the landscape.

Though all of the projects are responding to diverse settings and unique conditions, all of them demonstrate attempts to blend architecture in with the natural environment. These attempts may be manifested visually, yet some are only realized through experience and interaction with the home. The projects represent strong steps towards improving architecture in rural spaces, yet the work is only beginning. The final project suggests how advancements in architecture must not only meet the natural environment, but the cultural environment as well, respecting the built landscape and the needs and access of those who live in it. These terms must be met in order to make globalization more equitable and beneficial to all, for the sake of these communities and the future of architecture.

Zacatitos 002 by Campos Leckie Studio, Baja California Sur, Mexico

Zacatitos 002 is the second structure in a series of experiments developing homes for remote settings. Built in the desert of Baja California Sur, the house is designed to protect residents without cutting them off from their surroundings. Although made out of industrial materials, the project melts away into the landscape with transitional areas between interior and exterior spaces.

House in Mexico by Peter Pichler Architecture, Jalisco del Refugio, Mexico

For this seaside residence, Italian firm Peter Pichler Architecture transformed the structure of an existing midcentury home. The house’s interiors are characterized by a spartan design, highlighting the building’s materials, including exposed concrete floors and wooden panels. Yet the defining and unifying element of the project is the elaborate tiles which decorate the building’s lively exterior.

House on the Pacific Coast by Bernardi + Peschard arquitectura, Mexico

Also located along Mexico’s western coast, Bernardi + Peschard make the most of the ample space and beautiful landscape where their project is set. Rather than creating a monolithic house, the residence is divided amongst several small “pavilions” spread out on the site. This design allows the project to maintain a low profile while embracing a variety of views of the surrounding landscape.

CASA NARIGUA by P+0 Architecture, NL, Mexico

Casa Narigua takes a different approach towards maximizing views while minimizing impact of the natural environment. Rather than building low and wide, the architects raised the house up above the dense vegetation around it, making the floor plan to conform to the natural architecture of its mountain setting. As it rises, however, the structure extends over the surrounding forest along impressive cantilevers, creating a structure almost as tremendous and dramatic as the mountains that hang above it.

Casa BS by Elías Rizo Arquitectos, Tapalpa, Mexico

Although also built in a heavily forested area, Casa BS is surrounded more immediately by an open, grassy valley, making it a challenge to blend any architecture into the landscape. Yet Elías Rizo Arquitectos made it as discreet as possible by embedding the structure into a hillside, and creating the entire building’s exterior out of local stone, which blends in with the valley’s rocky terrain. The stone gives the project a timeless appearance, yet the material is balanced with the building’s modern, geometric design creating airy, open living spaces.

Casa Candelaria by Cherem Arquitectos, San Miguel de Allende, Mexico

Cherem Arquitectos’ Casa Candelaria blends in with its terrain by literally being a part of it. The house’s exterior walls are constructed out of rammed earth sourced from the site, making the project economical and environmentally responsible. This effect also makes the structure unobtrusive and well suited to its surroundings. The earth walls also offer great protection from the elements, creating natural climate control for the house’s interior.

Rural House in Puebla by Comunal: Taller de Arquitectura, Mexico

Though modest in scale and budget, the Rural House in Puebla represents an impressive combination of industrial construction and local architectural traditions. This fusion is illustrated in the materials chosen for the project; though traditional architecture in the region is built out of organic materials such as bamboo, the project relied on cheap, subsidized brick to create the main structure of the house. The design unites this foundation with added bamboo elements by creating common patterns and motifs out of both materials.

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