March 1, 2024

Behind the Design of an Eco-Friendly Home in Mexico

2023 Best of Year Winner for On the Boards Single Family Residential

For a home situated in the drought-susceptible region of Ciudad López Mateos, Mexico, Desai Chia Architecture and MT Arquitectos envisioned an eco-friendly oasis for a family of four oriented around a courtyard that doubles as a collection point for rainwater. A standout semicircular staircase anchors the two-story, 6,000-square-foot plan, and floor-to-ceiling glazing ushers in daylight. The concrete facade will be cast in place and act as a natural thermal barrier. Interior walls will be finished with an ancient Mayan stucco technique made from a mixture of cement and boiled bark sourced from the native Yucatán chukum tree.

See Interior Design’s Best of Year Winners and Honorees

Explore must-see projects and innovative products that took home high honors.

2025 WINNERS

exterior of single family home with lawn and trees

inside the courtyard of a single family home with a balcony and greenery

Projects
Grab A Drink At This Communal Coffee Shop In Oakland
Jones Haydu utilize a crown of concave timber slats and linear pendant fixtures to highlight the communal nature of The Caffè by Mr. Espresso.
Projects
Step Into The ‘60s At This Retro-Chic Canadian Hotel
Workshop/APD and Metafor turn a 1960’s motor lodge in the Canadian Rockies into the Moxy Banff, and the age of Aquarius has never looked so good.
Projects
Dynamic Staircases Encourage Movement in This Tech Office
“Movement” was the design concept for this tech workspace by Utile and Merge Architects, a notion exemplified via a series of dynamic feature staircases.