Pérez Palacios Arquitectos Asociados designs Toronjos

Set between two avocado orchids in Mexico on a site with no electricity, sewage, and potable water is Toronjos, a new vacation home by Mexico-based architects Pérez Palacios Arquitectos Asociados (PPAA). The firm, listed on AN Interior’s Top 50 architects and designers this year, designed the home to disappear into the land while also living lightly on it.

pere palacios arquitectos in mexico — The home is surrounded by a series of walls and openings (Fabian Martine)

Built right up against a lake, Toronjos’s single-story structure, around 1,024 square feet, doesn’t attempt to overshadow the land. The structure is surrounded on its perimeter with a series of openings and walls to visually and conceptually live with the surrounding nature.

Toronjos does more than promote indoor-outdoor living. The architecture supports a self-sufficient lifestyle using solar panels and rainwater from the lake, as well as a minimal footprint. The generous openings help provide cross-ventilation and an interplay of light and shadow to decorate the interiors. It also helps frame the home for mediation; many of the residence’s rooms open up and look outward to the land. Hammocks throughout reinforce the design’s emphasis on relaxation and reflection in nature.

adobe plaster — Adobe plaster helps make up the walls (Fabian Martine)

mexico vacation home — The design visually and conceptually harmonizes with nature (Fabian Martine)

PPAA relied on regional builders and local materials. Construction relies on natural resources, built exclusively with adobe and wood. The former forms the floors, which were handcrafted and produced on site; the plaster walls; and some of the beams. The bricks were made from straw and earth and dried naturally by the sun. Exposed beams rhythmically support the openings using wood. Local availability of wood determined the size and sequence of the openings.

kitchen with steel and wood — The kitchen looks out over the land, helped along by glazing (Fabian Martine)

living room — Exposed beams imbue warmth to the home (Fabian Martine)

The sense of honest composition continues inside. Interior glazing, rounded walls, and a mix of wooden and steel furnishings make for a modern yet modest abode. The home unfolds into three longitudinal sections with the core components housing the private areas like the bedroom, bathroom, and changing room.

bedroom with wood and steel — Wooden and steel furnishings create a modern yet modest interior (Fabian Martine)

windows through home — Openings align to preserve sightlines and maintain the land as the focal point (Fabian Martine)

rounded walls in bedroom — Rounded walls help add a sense of welcome and naturalness (Fabian Martine)

More social areas like the kitchen and living room lie on the perimeter to take advantage of the extensive openings. These areas, much like the building itself, are designed to harmonize with the surroundings—not dominate over them.

Pérez Palacios Arquitectos Asociados designs a home to blend into the land in Mexico

Site Sufficient

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