{"id":399839,"date":"2026-04-19T07:27:28","date_gmt":"2026-04-19T07:27:28","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/399839\/"},"modified":"2026-04-19T07:27:28","modified_gmt":"2026-04-19T07:27:28","slug":"following-a-trip-to-japan-an-architect-designs-his-own-house-to-experiment-with-new-ideas","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/399839\/","title":{"rendered":"Following a Trip to Japan, an Architect Designs His Own House to Experiment with New Ideas"},"content":{"rendered":"

Readers of RECORD have always been intrigued by houses that architects design for themselves. One reason is that, without client-driven compromises, the completed project is more likely to embody its author\u2019s original intentions. Another is that architects rarely have much money, so they must substitute a high level of discipline and ingenuity.<\/p>\n

After a visit to Japan, Rogelio Bores of HW Studio (a 2024 Design Vanguard<\/a>) was eager to explore the concept of kehai or \u201csubtle presence.\u201d But he feared the modest spaces likely to result from such an investigation would be of little interest to his clients. So he designed a place for himself.<\/p>\n

Bores built his home, which he shares with his girlfriend, psychologist Vera S\u00e1nchez Macouzet, in Vista Bella, a quiet enclave popular with artists and academics in Morelia, in the Mexican state of Michoac\u00e1n. On a narrow lot that slopes down to a river and adjoins an ecological reserve, he set an opaque rectangular volume of brick, finished in white stucco, contiguous to the reserve and close to the sidewalk. \u201cFrom the outside, the house seems like nothing more than a box, like the ones I\u2019ve been making throughout my career,\u201d he says. \u201cQuiet and closed, like a stone in the urban landscape.\u201d<\/p>\n

The 1,025-square-foot project cost $75,000. \u201cThat\u2019s all the bank would loan me,\u201d recalls Bores, who spent the money wisely. For example, during excavation, he discovered bedrock 5\u00bd feet below grade. Building at that level allowed him to reduce foundation costs. This frugal move led to an enhanced entry sequence: a stair, concealed from the sidewalk by a wall, descends to the front door. \u201cOne enters by going down,\u201d says the architect, \u201clike bowing before something sacred.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"Casa
\n
\n1<\/p>\n

\"Casa
\n
\n2<\/p>\n

Visitors enter the house by descending a staircase (1), which leads to the dining area (2) and the courtyard (3). Photos \u00a9 C\u00e9sar B\u00e9jar (1 & 2), Gustavo Quiroz (3), click to enlarge.<\/p>\n

\"Casa
\n
\n3<\/p>\n

The program included only essential spaces. A small but serene central courtyard, with a Japanese-inspired stone garden, opens to two compact cubic volumes\u2014one in front, with a double-height dining room and kitchen, and another in back, with a living room below and a bedroom above. \u201cEverything is contained and inward-looking,\u201d says Bores. Passage between the two volumes requires going outdoors, which is not unusual in central Mexico\u2019s temperate climate. \u201cIf it\u2019s raining,\u201d he notes frankly, \u201cyou get wet or you wait for the rain to stop.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"Casa
\n
\n4<\/p>\n

Minimal detailing in the bedroom (4) and courtyard (5) creates a serene atmosphere. Photos \u00a9 C\u00e9sar B\u00e9jar<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

\"Casa
\n
\n5<\/p>\n

Floors are steel-framed decks anchored to the masonry walls and finished in engineered walnut. On the lower level, these float above the gravel-surfaced courtyard, which is separated from interior spaces by sliding shoji screens of wood-framed rice paper, each of which cost approximately $60. \u201cThey were an aesthetic choice but also a budget one,\u201d says Bores. \u201cThey distribute light beautifully, they move with incredible gentleness, and, from the standpoint of thermal comfort, they work much better than glass\u2014something that really surprised me.\u201d They are set at the inside edge of a transitional indoor\/outdoor zone known in traditional Japanese architecture as the engawa, which protects them from rainfall.<\/p>\n

The dining room is an elegant exercise in restraint. The kitchen is integrated into a wall of flush, painted cabinetry\u2014one of two parallel white planes that delineate the lower half of the tall space. The base of the square dining table is sunken to accommodate sitting on the floor. At the center of the tabletop is a sand-filled firepit, vented by a wood-clad hood above. It serves as a hearth and can also be used for cooking. \u201cWe wanted to reinterpret the act of gathering around fire as part of everyday life,\u201d says Bores. \u201cIt\u2019s a system found in old Japanese houses. I must confess: I haven\u2019t tried it yet.\u201d<\/p>\n

The second-floor bedroom is an intimate retreat, where an unglazed oculus overlooking the foliage of a tree in the courtyard can be closed by an exterior sliding sash. Two small square windows, set high for privacy, frame views toward the reserve and the river. Finishes throughout are mostly white-painted plaster and walnut millwork. Detailing is flush, frameless, and fastidious.<\/p>\n

Bores is deeply spiritual. He once confided he might be happier as a Zen Buddhist monk than as an architect. This inevitably informed the design of his home. \u201cThe Japanese say the soul of a house lies not in its walls, nor in its roof,\u201d he muses enigmatically, \u201cbut in the void it contains.\u201d<\/p>\n

Economy was the path Bores followed to create that soulful void. \u201cWith a limited budget, the decisions were less aesthetic than vital. Every cent had to speak with clarity; every centimeter had to make sense,\u201d he explains. \u201cBut, beyond economic constraints, it was my long and slow path toward Zen that truly shaped it.\u201d His thoughts are lofty, but his home is as grounded as it is gracious. \u201cThis house was not made to impress,\u201d he adds. And yet, with its subtle presence, it does.<\/p>\n

\"Casa<\/p>\n

Image courtesy HW Studio<\/p>\n

\"Casa<\/p>\n

Image courtesy HW Studio<\/p>\n

Credits<\/p>\n

Architect:
\n
HW Studio \u2014 Rogelio Vallejo Bores, Oscar Didier Ascencio Castro, Nik Zaret Cervantes Ordaz<\/p>\n

Engineer:
\n
Abdiel Nu\u00f1ez Gaona (structural)<\/p>\n

Consultant:
\n
Ordine Furniture (kitchen)<\/p>\n

General Contractor:
\n
Alberto Gallegos Negrete\/Group GAPSE<\/p>\n

Size:
\n
1,025 square feet<\/p>\n

Cost:
\n
$75,000 (construction)<\/p>\n

Completion:
\n
May 2025<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

Sources<\/p>\n

Interior Finishes:
\n
Ozu Washi (shoji paper); Bastet (flooring); Verolegno (wallcoverings)<\/p>\n

Cladding:
\n
Uniblock (stucco); Comex (elastomeric)<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Readers of RECORD have always been intrigued by houses that architects design for themselves. One reason is that,…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":399840,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[31],"tags":[437,434,435,436,438,146,85,46,1326,189454],"class_list":{"0":"post-399839","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-arts-and-design","8":"tag-arts","9":"tag-arts-and-design","10":"tag-artsanddesign","11":"tag-artsdesign","12":"tag-design","13":"tag-entertainment","14":"tag-il","15":"tag-israel","16":"tag-mexico","17":"tag-modern-residential-architecture"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/399839","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=399839"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/399839\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/399840"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=399839"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=399839"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=399839"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}