Estudio Villagálvez has completed Casa Gálvez, a striking residential project that seamlessly integrates mature trees into its architectural design in León, Mexico. Located at the edge of a dense residential and industrial neighborhood where the urban environment unexpectedly meets a strip of greenery, the house opens toward a communal landscape dominated by magnificent mature trees, including a flamboyant tree (Delonix regia) and a eucalyptus.
The architects have masterfully incorporated these existing trees into the home's composition, framing them as thresholds, companions, and internal landscapes that define the residence's unique identity. At the entrance, the impressive flamboyant tree establishes both scale and orientation before visitors even encounter the building itself. A covered zaguán, a traditional entrance passage common in Spanish and Latin American architecture, serves as a mediating space between the exterior and interior environments.
This intermediary zone features a vertical, concrete-framed space punctured by a circular oculus that draws the eye upward to the tree canopy above. The entrance sequence sets the tone for an architectural experience carefully structured around the interplay of light, shadow, and the trees themselves. All images of the project were captured by photographer Jorge Succar, showcasing the harmonious relationship between built and natural elements.
Once inside Casa Gálvez, visitors experience an abrupt transition into a dramatic double-height volume that recalls, in contemporary form, the traditional Mexican troje—a type of barn historically used for shelter and storage. However, Estudio Villagálvez has reimagined this typology as a suspended wooden structure that serves as the heart of the home. This floating wooden core accommodates the kitchen and dining room on the ground floor, while extending upward to include a TV room and study on the upper level.
The suspended troje organizes collective life within the residence while maintaining visual and spatial continuity across different levels. This innovative reinterpretation of traditional Mexican architecture creates a striking focal point that bridges historical building techniques with modern living requirements. The wooden structure appears to float within the central void, creating a sense of weightlessness and spatial drama.
The architectural practice has concentrated bedrooms and service areas into a vertical volume arranged like a compact tower, creating clear separation between public and private spaces. Strategic placement of patios throughout the design extends the interior spaces outward while regulating air circulation and natural light penetration. Each space maintains a crucial visual connection to the surrounding vegetation, ensuring that nature remains an integral part of the living experience.
The central patio functions as both a bioclimatic device and a contemplative space, allowing natural airflow and solar control while creating a protected void where tree crowns dominate the view. This outdoor room serves multiple purposes: regulating the home's microclimate, providing natural ventilation, and offering residents a peaceful retreat surrounded by mature vegetation. The patio exemplifies the architects' commitment to sustainable design principles and bioclimatic architecture.
The volumetric composition of Casa Gálvez emerges from the careful interplay of three distinct elements: the entrance volume aligned with the flamboyant tree, the soaring social core, and the compact private tower. Curved lines and earthy-textured bases mediate the connections between these volumes, softening the overall geometry and creating smooth transitions between different architectural elements. This thoughtful approach to form-making results in a building that feels both monumental and intimate.
Through a carefully orchestrated sequence of thresholds, double heights, patios, and shadows, the house reveals itself gradually to visitors and residents alike. This layered spatial experience encourages discovery and creates multiple opportunities for interaction with the landscape. After experiencing the cozy intimacy of the zaguán entrance, visitors emerge into surprising openness that celebrates both architectural space and natural beauty.
The project represents a successful collaboration between Estudio Villagálvez and several specialized consultants. Construction was handled by Cubo Rojo, while landscape design was executed by LATIKA, ensuring that both built and natural elements received expert attention. The integration of these different disciplines resulted in a cohesive design that respects existing site conditions while creating new possibilities for domestic life.
Casa Gálvez demonstrates how contemporary architecture can honor and incorporate existing natural features rather than removing them for new construction. The project serves as a model for sustainable residential design that celebrates the relationship between built and natural environments, showing how mature trees can become integral architectural elements rather than obstacles to development.
