A striking 4,300-square-foot villa that stands prominently on a street corner in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico, represents an unusual architectural statement for a region where wealthy residents typically prefer secluded properties. The project, designed by HW Studio from Morelia, reflects the clients' deep admiration for Japanese design principles and culture, creating a unique fusion of Mexican location and Japanese aesthetic sensibilities.
The residence, located in the Pacific coastal resort town of Puerto Vallarta in Jalisco state in western Mexico, houses a married couple with their two daughters. The building's striking form consists of multiple receding volumes that create an almost fortress-like appearance from the street, yet subtly expands public space by curving gently away from the sidewalk. While the structure presents a somewhat forbidding steel garage door to passersby, it also features a small tree planted in the expanded street corner area, with the main entrance accessible via a short staircase through a narrow gap between volumes.
The villa's unusual layout places the main living areas on the upper floor, which visitors encounter immediately upon entering. This elevation reveals the true nature of the design: rather than a single enclosed volume, the home comprises multiple interconnected indoor and outdoor spaces. Puerto Vallarta's year-round warm climate, often hot and humid, makes this open-plan approach both practical and comfortable. The upper level integrates kitchen, living room, and terrace areas, along with a swimming pool that forms part of the overall living space.
The ground floor presents a spatially unconventional arrangement, accessible either directly from the garage or via a small staircase from the living level above. Three bedrooms, each with private bathrooms, are arranged around an elongated patio featuring another tree. These rooms deliberately create a cave-like atmosphere, which proves sensible given the local climate conditions. The architects have been generous with space throughout the 5,080-square-foot gross floor area, incorporating numerous contemplative void spaces that contribute to the home's meditative quality.
The architectural treatment maintains remarkable consistency from exterior to interior, with nearly everything constructed from high-quality exposed concrete. Only the flooring deviates from this material palette, executed in dramatically veined natural stone. The small gravel garden in the patio clearly draws inspiration from the clients' fascination with Japanese culture, while carefully selected furniture and decorative objects reinforce this aesthetic direction.
This project demonstrates a similar consistently coherent approach evident in HW Studio's previous works, including a cross-shaped monolith, a concrete arch for a weekend house, and a white cube. The firm's portfolio reveals a commitment to material honesty and geometric clarity that resonates with Japanese design principles while adapting to Mexican environmental conditions and cultural contexts.
