Project Name: Casa Aura 

Location: San Pedro Garza Garcia 

Date Completed: January 2020 

Architect: Christian Joffroy 

Construction Company: Javier Sanchez Partida 

Photographer: Francisco Alvarez for The Raws 

A residence designed for a couple, an art gallery owner and a lawyer, both art & architecture enthusiasts. They both pursue professional ambitions and are very dedicated to their professions. Their home was conceived as a refuge in the mountains, simple to live, but luxurious in space and format. Flexible to different social and private scenarios, liveable in every square meter. 

The home, although located on the mountain, does not enjoy scenic a view to the city, so interior views were very important. Joffroy + Partners created interior garden/courtyard views and placed large sliding doors that open to connect all exterior areas to each other, through the living spaces, so the home can convert into a large terrace, or remain as a large refuge, depending on the weather, mood, or social setting. They chose materials such as concrete and steel, so that the home may age and weather in tone with its setting. Besides the versatility of the home, regarding open or closed to exterior areas at any time of year or day, the selected materials will allow the home to age with dignity, and to remain relevant, design wise, in time. It is a project that was conceived as true to form follows function as possible, and the materials speak of that as well. Exposed, assembled to site, and custom to clients. 

The home has a very simple circulation flow; Courtyards and gardens were designated according to the sites natural state. The home’s living areas were designed around these natural areas, connected by a single corridor. Along the corridor there are either courtyards, mass or void; these are either connected visually or physically, through glass so that the interior of the home, always has a connection to the exterior. Since the home is enclosed by 3 neighbouring properties, but is very much on the mountain, it was very important to bring the mountain into the home, in order for the setting to remain relevant in the client’s day to day life.