Built adjacent to a Mexican nature reserve, Las Rocas by architect Ignacio Urquiza and interior designer Ana Paula de Alba is rooted in environmental respect and regeneration.
Las Rocas—a collaboration between Mexican-based architectural studio Ignacio Urquiza Arquitectos and interior designer Ana Paula de Alba—responds to its terrain not as a challenge, but as a collaborator, working with its forged-earth composition rather than against it.
Set within a 6,400 m² site in the northern reaches of La Peña, Valle de Bravo, Las Rocas consists of four homes shaped by the natural contours of the land. Surrounded by rocky outcrops and dense endemic vegetation, the site borders a protected nature reserve with origins dating back to pre-Hispanic times. Each home is strategically positioned as an extension of the landscape, reinforcing the project’s commitment to regeneration, restraint and environmental integration.
“The project evolved from the idea of creating a dynamic system,” head architect Ignacio Urquiza says. “A detailed and accurate site analysis was essential to determine where to position each of the homes for minimal impact on the preexisting runoffs, rocks and vegetation.”
Accessed via a narrow cobblestone street, the complex opens into a central plaza that houses essential services such as parking, storage, cisterns and treatment plants. Urquiza envisioned the site as a natural sanctuary, encouraging residents and visitors to move on foot through paths, stairs and open spaces, fostering a clear separation from the surrounding urban environment.
“Users are required to leave their vehicles and walk to the houses via paths and steps, immediately freeing them from their urban surroundings,” Urquiza says.
The connection to the outdoors is reinforced through a material palette of textured stone floors, evoking nearby rock formations, and warm timber veneer that mirrors the surrounding slopes.
Pictured: the Arrow pendant by Apparatus Studio.
Every aspect of Las Rocas is carefully oriented to capture the panoramic hilly slopes of Valle de Bravo’s La Peña. Featured are the office desk chairs by Pierre Jeanneret and the Flos String Sphere lights by Michael Anastassiades.
Architecturally, Las Rocas is both modular and shaped by the land itself. The design follows the site’s natural contours, with walkways and paths woven into the terrain, making the environment an active part of the experience. Each home shares the same structural components, but their layouts adapt to the unique characteristics of each plot. The living and dining areas across all four homes are unified beneath a wide cantilever, which gently blurs the boundary between the interiors and exterior, connecting the homes to their open terraces. “This approach helped us avoid duplicating spaces—a common issue in rural retreats around Valle de Bravo,” Urquiza explains.
A minimalist material palette underscores the natural setting. Light-grey stucco mirrors the surrounding rocks, while textured stone floors and flush glass façades soften the transition between built and unbuilt elements. Elsewhere, tactile timber veneer and flooring bring warmth and depth to the interiors.
Once the homes were in place, de Alba took charge of the interiors, tailoring each space to the specific needs and personalities of its owners. Custom-designed pieces—such as a sectional sofa, volcanic stone side table, shelving system and dining table—complement works by renowned designers like Pierre Jeanneret and Michael Anastassiades.
Together, Ignacio Urquiza and Ana Paula de Alba have shaped Las Rocas as a thoughtful response to the land, creating spaces that honour the profound connection between people, the environment and purpose.
The open corridors weave through the landscape, opening to the rocky terrain and vegetation while capturing southern light to naturally regulate the homes’ temperatures.
Across all four homes, sections are carved directly into the rocky hillside, resulting in exposed rock walls and floors.
In Las Rocas, bathrooms are carved into stone walls or tucked beneath trees, with “the terrain itself acting as a walkway or set of steps,” Urquiza explains.
At no point did Urquiza seek to reforge Las Rocas’ natural terrain. Instead, throughout the site, existing trees pierce through tiled surfaces, sofas rest against exposed rock faces and massive tree trunks serve as natural boundary markers.
