Although it’s set on three levels the Crucida House maintains a low profile. That’s because the main floor is on the natural level of the terrain and there’s a basement area below and another floor on top. This creates 350 square meters of living space in total. The house is located in Alvarado, Veracruz and was completed in 2019 by studio Taller AGF.

The front of the house is mainly solid concrete with small windows for a bit of characterThe front entrance features an oversized wooden door and leads into the social areas on the main floor

Their clients had a very clear vision in mind for it from the very beginning. One of the main objectives throughout the design process was to put a big emphasis on the social areas. The architects positioned all of these spaces on the ground floor, creating a large open plan which opens onto a garden towards the back of the site.

A floating metal staircase with thin cord railings connects the three floors internallyThe ground floor is very spacious and open which makes up for the lack of full-height windows

The design also prioritizes privacy and as a result the street-facing facade is mostly closed off, featuring solid concrete walls. A set of stairs with built-in LED bands leads up to the main entrance, being framed by greenery on one side and by the platform leading down to the basement area on the other. The distribution of the spaces places all the social areas on the main floor, with the service areas taking up the top floor and the wine cellar and parking space being positioned down below. The back side of the house is more open to the exterior, featuring a series of large windows and leading out to a terrace and swimming pool area.

There’s a wine cellar down in the basement with a big table in the middle and warm LED lights along the ceiling beamsThe ground floor opens onto a backyard with a swimming pool and a terraceThere’s lush tropical vegetation all around the house which complements its simple geometryThe bathroom has a beautiful little courtyard with perforated walls and sunlight coming in from above