Excerpt: Auseva House by Graus is grounded in a clear premise: removing what is unnecessary to reveal an architecture defined by order, light, and contemplation. Through geometric clarity, material honesty, and formal restraint, the project is positioned at the center of the site, allowing outdoor spaces to mediate between interior and exterior, while natural light shapes space, time, and the domestic experience with calm spatial sensitivity.
Project Description
[Text as submitted by architect] Located in the southern area of Mexico City, this residence is based on a clear premise: removing what is unnecessary to reveal an architecture defined by order, light and contemplation. The proposal responds to a rigorous pursuit of geometric clarity and material honesty, where each design decision is articulated through formal restraint and spatial sensitivity.
Rather than imposing itself on the site, the house is positioned at the center of the plot, allowing outdoor spaces to operate as active transitions between the different habitable cores. This configuration reinforces a balance between functional autonomy and landscape integration, generating a continuous dialogue between interior and exterior that expands the domestic experience.
One of the project’s central concepts is its carefully modulated relationship with the sky. Each space establishes a specific degree of openness toward it: generous in social areas, more restrained in private zones, always mediated by natural light as both a compositional and atmospheric tool. This approach is expressed through precise gestures, such as the main entrance, conceived as an open-air vestibule that frames the sky and transforms arrival into a ritual shaped by time of day, weather, and season.
The main stair system is conceived as a dynamic sequence, where light strikes architectural planes in constantly changing ways, encouraging an active perception of movement. At the visual endpoint, a sculpture is strategically placed to engage with the user’s motion and emphasize the sensory dimension of the ascent.
In the secondary bedrooms, sloped ceilings and double-height spaces enrich the interior volume, while suspended mezzanines introduce both playful and functional possibilities. The primary bedroom follows a similar logic: a pitched roof frames the sky through a high window, amplifying the sense of openness and reinforcing an intimate connection with the natural surroundings.
The material palette, restrained, durable and essential, underscores the project’s pursuit of timelessness and sobriety. Spatial clarity and a continuous relationship with natural light define an architecture that avoids ornamentation and prioritizes what is fundamental: inhabiting time, space and landscape.
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