Elias Rizo Arquitectos

DTF House

DTF House
© Marcos Garcia

DTF House 

Elías Rizo Arquitectos

PHOTOGRAPHS
Marcos Garcia

AREA
600 m²

YEAR
2013

LOCATION
Zapopan, Mexico

CAREGORY
Houses

Text description provided by architect.

Casa DTF presented a challenge akin to that of casa Oval; both houses were built within the confines of a private residentiaCasa DTF presented a challenge akin to that of casa Oval; both houses were built within the confines of a private residential community and raised similar privacy issues.

DTF House
© Marcos Garcia

In the case of Casa DTF the house program was resolved in three levels. The program distribution allows for a clear separation of private and public functions.

The basement houses all service areas and the garage; the ground floor, which rises half a story above the street level, includes all public areas such as kitchen, dining and living spaces as well as a studio. The second level includes four bedrooms. l community and raised similar privacy issues.

DTF House
© Marcos Garcia
DTF House
© Marcos Garcia

The house can be understood essentially as a pair of distinct volumes that enclose the most important elements of the program and are joined at the center by a circulation block.

The envelope of each of these volumes responds to orientation and privacy.

DTF House
© Marcos Garcia
DTF House
© Marcos Garcia

The front volume, which faces the street to the South, is practically opaque.

A large window masked by a metal screen sits on top of a bare concrete wall. The back volume, on the other hand, displays a larger degree of transparency on both floors.

DTF House
© Marcos Garcia
DTF House
© Marcos Garcia

The top portion is articulated as a floating concrete frame that cantilevers well past the glass wall underneath, to shade the living spaces and an outdoor terrace on a stone platform.

A series of wooden operable panels mounted on steel rails on the second level act as shutters that prevent sunlight from entering the master bedroom and, when open, provide a clear view of the back garden.

The interiors are finished with an austere assortment of materials. Marble covers all floors on the ground level and dresses floors and walls on bathrooms.

DTF House
© Marcos Garcia
DTF House
© Marcos Garcia
DTF House
© Marcos Garcia

Wood was used for cabinetry, doors and stair treads; on the second level it substitutes stone on most floors except for the bathrooms, where we find a combination of marble and concrete on various surfaces.

Steel plays a prominent part in the material palette as well, especially on the facades and within the middle, circulation volume, where it forms the structural framing for the stair, railings and it covers the slab edges.


DTF House
Lower Floor Plan
DTF House
Ground Floor Plan
DTF House
Upper Floor Plan

Elias Rizo Arquitectos
T +52 33 31333739
Elias Rizo Arquitectos
Calle Gral. Eulogio Parra 2802, Prados Providencia, 44670 Guadalajara, Jal., Mexico