Di Dox House / Magaldi Studio

Curated by Clara Ott

Architects: Magaldi Studio
Area: 1250 m²
Year: 2019
Photographs:Edmund Sumner
Manufacturers: AutoDesk, GRAPHISOFT, Cantera Acatlan, Fiat Lux, Grupo Arca, Morpholio, Natural Oak Wood, Novaceramic, Trimble

Text description provided by the architects. On the hillside of the Magical Town of Valle de Bravo, a restful enclave popular among city dwellers only a 140km drive from Mexico City, we can find Casa Di Dox. 13,000 sqft of a very modern avant- garde architecture built with local materials. The design bets on intersecting volumes prioritized by dimension and finished by optimally leveraging the natural slope of the site, reflected on the Architectural brief. Christian Magaldi, the Architect, tried to point everything inside out with a focal point in the epicenter of the central tower and main stairs that will guide us round the building, also accommodating for the different natural levels of the lot. This was all formulated using a structure of exposed concrete and steel.

Magaldi Studio chose a dark palette to showcase the natural landscape; wood recovered from local supplier underwent Yakisugi - a Japanese technique for weatherproofing by charring with fire - along with smoke brick from the region to harmonize the construction with its environment, trying to blend the house as a shadow among in the green surroundings. The two open terraces serve as central mainstays for the house, both private & public. The public one divides the interior and exterior of the house offering a breathtaking view of the protected forest, while at the same time serves as a connection for the back garden and the main access area during nighttime. Guest privacy and independence from the main house was a prerequisite of the client, so we created a transition Patio, that will host a Jacuzzi and a small garden that becomes an extension of the forest and becomes a kind of a foyer for the Guest Suites.

The main access to the lot is from the lower part, so we tried to float the volumes to take some weight off and emphasized a 20ft tall rectangular volume (closed Livingroom & dinning) with a picture window offering spectacular views of the lake of Valle de Bravo, that is the landmark of the town. The use of materials in the Exterior was kept simple. Gray marbled granite with flambé finish for the floors, Access and surrounding surfaces in local stone (again keeping it local from a quarry in nearby Acatlan) with a natural finish, and Burned Wood clawing and Smoke brick combined with Natural oak wood for interiors and private areas. Interiors are lined with exposed wood beams and brick with a gray cement paste on walls, for a lighter and warmer effect, and laminate hardwood at the ceilings.