Black concrete defines strong and monolithic Casa Mavra in Mexico

Angular black-concrete volumes are punctured by small tree-filled patios at this home in Mexico, completed by architecture studio Taller Alberto Calleja.

Named Casa Mavra, referencing the Greek word for black, the 1,300-square-metre home sits surrounded by dense woodland in the town of Valle de Bravo.

Taller Alberto Calleja (TAC) crafted the home's low-lying form with black-pigmented concrete to blend in with the shadows of the surrounding trees, aiming to create a "sculptural architectural object" that would not dominate the landscape.

"The intention was to create a strong and monolithic presence while allowing the spaces inside to remain intimate and closely connected to light, vegetation, and the experience of inhabiting the site," the studio told Dezeen.

"Although the house is conceived as a sculptural architectural object, it does not seek to compete with the landscape," it added.

"Instead, the intention was to position the volumes in a way that feels naturally grounded within the terrain, allowing the architecture to coexist with the mountains and vegetation rather than dominate them."

The two intersecting volumes of Casa Mavra form an X-shaped plan, entered from the south via a long stepped path alongside a narrow pool of water and sheltered by a concrete wall that gradually rises in height.

This entrance route ends in a large patio space that divides a living, dining and kitchen wing to the west from a bedroom wing to the east.

Each of these wings is accessed via a semi-external, covered corridor, linked to small patios with plants growing through circular and square cut-outs in the roof and walls.

"One of the most significant gestures is the continuous wall that rises along the access sequence, accompanied by the sound of water descending along the stairways," said the studio.

"As the wall unfolds through the site, it ultimately transforms into the inclined roofs of the house, becoming the architectural gesture that gives Casa Mavra its distinctive character," it added.

The board-marked black concrete of the home's structure has been left exposed throughout, creating a strong contrast with both the surrounding greenery and the sunlight that enters through circular cut-outs.

At the end of each volume, fully-glazed walls overlook the landscape and open out onto small timber terraces, providing a seating area alongside the main bedroom and a small pool next to the living area.

"The solidity of the concrete contrasts with large glazed openings that bring natural light deep into the interiors and frame views of the landscape, creating a balance between heaviness and transparency," said the studio.

Other black-concrete houses on Dezeen include Federal House in New South Wales, Australia, by Edition Office and a home by AR Arquitectos in the mountains of Argentina.

The photography is courtesy of Taller Alberto Calleja.

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