Located at Santa Anita Golf Club in Mexico, the Mountain House is a family home designed by Agraz Arquitectos. The name not only reflects the landscape, but references the immense challenge this project presented to its architects. Emerging from the mountain like a Bond villain's house, the structure climbs over four platforms. The bedrooms located on the top floor enjoy the most spectacular views, due to the buildings location on the highest peak of La Primavera Forest, in the last terrain of the Santa Anita suburb. The exploded four level plan called for a connecting element, so the architects designed a continuous staircase throughout the floors. This may threaten quite a climb when you arrive at your car to realize you have left your keys on the bedside cabinet, but fear not, a diagonal elevator has been installed to whisk you over the distance. Nestled in the rock at the heart of the house, a wine cellar maintains perfectly controlled temperature, humidity and light levels. Complete with wine bar decorated with clear glass carafes and wine decanters, this room leads off to the dining and living space via retractile doors. The social area transforms when an entire wall of glass doors are drawn back to connect with patio areas, making the inside an outdoor space, allowing the seasons to decorate. We think that the clean, contemporary lines achieved on this vast, sloping plot made Agraz Arquitectos worthy winners of the National Academy of Architecture silver medal for Architectural Quality of the Project. They definitely conquered the mountain!
