Modern Villa in Mexico: Ponce House by Coutiño & Ponce Architects

Ponce House was designed by  Coutiño & Ponce Architects and is located in  La Palma, a small town in Tabasco state, Mexico. Here is the official project description we were sent: “ Ponce House is located in a plot of approximately 7.41 acres and it is part of a group of buildings that make up ‘Quinta Mamá Ali,” which will include four houses, pool area with “palapa”, a small chapel, a playground and a ballroom. The project is developed through the design of two perpendicular bodies that house the entire program. The main volume is structured by a passageway that extends 3.75 meters throughout the house, setting the area of the bedrooms in the northeast. This same body in opposite direction defines the service area comprised of kitchen, laundry area, court and maid’s room. The lower body houses the remaining spaces. The living-dining area, located in the northeast, is defined by a rectangular space extending from the main body. To the northwest lies parking space for three cars and all the spaces that provide services to the house are packed in the extension of this body.

The main facade is almost blind, its southwest location forced the decision to avoid openings, as in the Mexican southeast the incidence of the sun on the spaces that face this direction may make them uninhabitable. However, the opposite facade is fully glazed with openings of 3.75 meters by 2.20 meters that make up the facade of the bedrooms and the living-dining area. The two meters of extension that the slab in front of this facade  has, configure a porch area that opens the space outward, towards the area where the pool will be located, making this entire perimeter an outdoor living area where you can enjoy views of open countryside that the location of the house provides .” [Photography: Fabian Coutiño]