After years of admiring the work of architect Pablo Pérez Palacios from afar, a young couple finally found an opportunity to enlist his services when they purchased property in an upscale housing development in central Mexico’s Querétaro City.

As parents to a newborn, the young couple wanted a single-family home that would be low-maintenance, child-friendly, and—most importantly—connected to the outdoors.

But creating a seamless indoor/outdoor living experience would be a challenge given the housing development’s stringent regulations on where the house could be placed. There were also privacy concerns due to the proximity of neighboring houses.

Working with his team at his Mexico City–based practice PPAA and architect Alfonso de la Concha Rojas, Pablo navigated the site’s drawbacks and met his client’s needs by designing a simple concrete structure that combines two kinds of exterior treatments—an opaque upper floor with wooden screens for privacy, and a transparent ground floor that features massive glass walls that slide open to connect the living spaces to the lush gardens in the front and rear of the house.

“We only designed with the elements that were strictly needed—nothing more, nothing less,” says Pablo of the project, named Casa Campanario. “The simple form became a frame for the surrounding nature.”

Intersecting concrete elements divide the home’s facade into a grid that not only breaks down the scale of the 3,660-square-foot house, but also frames views of the outdoor spaces.

The interiors match the minimalist aesthetic of the exterior so as to keep attention on the outdoors.

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Project Credits:

Architect of Record: PPAA Pérez Palacios Arquitectos Asociados / @perez_palacios_aa

Builder/ General Contractor: Octavio Perez Quintana

Structural Engineer/Civil Engineer: BVG