A distinctive residential project has emerged in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico, showcasing an innovative approach to home design that prioritizes lived experience over conventional architectural imagery. House Tao, designed by HW Studio, represents a philosophical departure from traditional design methodologies, emphasizing memory and inhabitant experience as primary design drivers.
The 472-square-meter residence, completed in 2025, was conceived not through technical drawings alone but through what the architects describe as "silent memory of those who inhabit it." Lead architect Rogelio Vallejo Bores, working alongside Oscar Didier Ascencio Castro and Nik Zaret Cervantes Ordaz, developed a design philosophy that responds to a way of living rather than a predetermined architectural image.
The project team included Juan Pablo Camacho Ayala and structural engineering by ARGA Constructora, with construction handled by COMAQSO. The clients, Gustavo Quiroz and Cynthia Rosaura Sandoval, collaborated closely with the design team to ensure the residence reflected their specific lifestyle needs and spatial memories.
Documentation of the project was captured by photographers Hugo Tirso Domínguez, César Belio, and Gustavo Quiroz, whose images reveal the interplay between concrete materiality and spatial experience. The architectural photography emphasizes how the building's concrete construction creates both intimate and expansive spaces throughout the residence.
According to the architects, House Tao challenges conventional residential design approaches by prioritizing experiential qualities over visual aesthetics. This methodology suggests that some houses are not designed in the traditional sense but rather "remembered" – emerging from the collective memory and daily practices of their future inhabitants.
The Puerto Vallarta location provides a tropical context that influences both the material choices and spatial organization of the residence. The concrete construction responds to local climate conditions while creating opportunities for indoor-outdoor living that characterizes contemporary Mexican residential architecture.
HW Studio's approach to House Tao reflects broader trends in contemporary residential design that emphasize user experience and site-specific responses over universal design solutions. The project demonstrates how architectural practices are evolving to incorporate more collaborative and memory-based design processes, potentially influencing future residential projects in similar contexts.
