Encinos House / José Ricardo Yslas Gámez


© Jaime Navarro Soto

© Jaime Navarro Soto
  • Collaborators: Alejandro Beyer Contreras, Jacobo Díaz Castillo, Gustavo Ortiz Aguas, Armando Barba Reyes, Antonio Merlos Espinosa
  • Construction: RYG Studio SA, Anteus Constructora
  • Structural Engineering: Montes de Oca Ingenieros y Consultores

© Jaime Navarro Soto

© Jaime Navarro Soto

Text description provided by the architects. The house is located in a private neighborhood 20 minutes from Mexico City. Surrounded by a wooded environment, both public and public areas revolve around a central interior patio whose main element is a floating concrete cube that frames the presence of a magnolia illuminated by natural light, which filters through the dome that covers the imposing concrete figure.


© Jaime Navarro Soto

© Jaime Navarro Soto

At the end of the patio, aligned with the ‘floating’ concrete structure the chimney end the axis, from whose center emanates an inverted pyramid that receives the flame. The chimney works as a link between the living room, the dining room and the patio itself, connecting the three spaces at the same time that it serves as a dividing element.


© Jaime Navarro Soto

© Jaime Navarro Soto

Lower Floor Plan

Lower Floor Plan

© Jaime Navarro Soto

© Jaime Navarro Soto

Pergolas of wood occupy both in the inner patio and in the corridors, which generates an interesting game of shades. The house is structured as two L-shaped bodies that are connected by two bridges in the interior.


Upper Floor Plan

Upper Floor Plan

The bridges join the private spaces, one of them crossing over a fern garden while the other bridge crosses over a water mirror from which the tree is placed. These two landscaped areas serve to provide cross ventilation to the house.


© Jaime Navarro Soto

© Jaime Navarro Soto

The main materials used are wood, stone slabs and concreted concrete. It is the combination of these elements that generates different effects of light and shadow that give the house a cozy atmosphere, according to the wooded environment.


© Jaime Navarro Soto

© Jaime Navarro Soto