March 1, 2024

Behind the Design of an Eco-Friendly Home in Mexico

2023 Best of Year Winner for On the Boards Single Family Residential

For a home situated in the drought-susceptible region of Ciudad López Mateos, Mexico, Desai Chia Architecture and MT Arquitectos envisioned an eco-friendly oasis for a family of four oriented around a courtyard that doubles as a collection point for rainwater. A standout semicircular staircase anchors the two-story, 6,000-square-foot plan, and floor-to-ceiling glazing ushers in daylight. The concrete facade will be cast in place and act as a natural thermal barrier. Interior walls will be finished with an ancient Mayan stucco technique made from a mixture of cement and boiled bark sourced from the native Yucatán chukum tree.

See Interior Design’s Best of Year Winners and Honorees

Explore must-see projects and innovative products that took home high honors.

2023 WINNERS

exterior of single family home with lawn and trees

inside the courtyard of a single family home with a balcony and greenery

Projects
Explore This Dark and Moody Cinema in Wuhan, China
Taking cues from an aerial view of a cityscape, One Plus Partnership designed a 90,000-square-foot cinema as a dark, marble-clad metropolis in China.
Projects
Go into the Void in this Tech Office by BA Collective
Fresh air, sunshine, and an exterior program were among directives for this development in Los Angeles by BA Collective that caters to tech industries.
Projects
This Expansive Mall in China Invites Exploration
A fictional island of towering cliffs in the middle of the ocean was the conceit for the eight-story mall by Ippolito Fleitz Group–Identity Architects.