* 검은빛의 묵직함과 자연의 조화 [ Taller Alberto Calleja ] Casa Mavra

건축의 본질은 대지와의 교감이며, 공간은 빛과 그림자에 의해 비로소 완성된다. - 안도 다다오

Black concrete defines "strong and monolithic" Casa Mavra in Mexico

숲속에 스며든 검은빛의 조각
멕시코 바예데브라보의 울창한 숲속, 흑색 콘크리트로 빚어낸 카사 마브라가 강렬하고 일체화된 존재감을 드러낸다. 건축 스튜디오 탈레르 알베르토 카예하가 설계한 이 주택은 각진 형태를 띠고 있다. 콘크리트 볼륨 곳곳에는 나무가 자라나는 작은 중정을 두어 공간에 숨통을 텄다. 검은색을 뜻하는 그리스어에서 이름을 빌려온 천삼백 제곱미터 규모의 이 집은 주변의 짙은 녹음과 조용히 교감한다.

대지와 공존하는 건축적 태도
설계팀은 건물이 주변 나무들의 그림자 속으로 자연스럽게 스며들기를 바랐다. 그래서 검은색 안료를 섞은 콘크리트를 사용해 대지에 낮게 깔린 형태를 구현했다. 풍경을 지배하지 않으면서도 그 자체로 단단한 조각품 같은 건축물을 완성하고자 한 것이다. 강렬하고 묵직한 외관을 지녔지만, 안으로 들어서면 빛과 식물이 공간을 따뜻하게 채운다. 거주자가 대지에 머무는 경험과 긴밀하게 연결되어 아늑함을 느끼도록 세심하게 조율했다. 대지 위에 가만히 내려앉은 듯 건물을 배치해 산과 식물을 압도하기보다는 기꺼이 자연의 일부가 되는 길을 택했다. 이는 한국 전통 건축에서 풍경을 거스르지 않고 빌려오는 차경의 철학이나, 지형에 순응하는 겸손한 태도와도 깊이 맞닿아 있다.

동선을 따라 펼쳐지는 공간 시퀀스
두 개의 매스가 교차하며 만든 엑스자 형태의 평면은 남쪽 진입로에서 그 서사를 시작한다. 좁고 긴 수공간을 따라 이어진 계단을 오르면, 점진적으로 높아지는 콘크리트 벽이 방문객을 감싸 안는다. 진입로 끝에 다다르면 너른 중정이 펼쳐진다. 이 중정을 기점으로 서쪽에는 거실과 주방이, 동쪽에는 침실 공간이 나뉘어 자리한다.

각 공간은 지붕이 덮인 반외부 복도로 부드럽게 이어진다. 복도를 걷다 보면 지붕과 벽에 뚫린 원형과 사각형의 개구부를 마주하게 된다. 그 틈새로 식물이 자라나는 작은 중정들이 공간의 안과 밖을 묘하게 연결한다. 발걸음을 따라 점점 높아지는 벽체, 그리고 계단을 타고 흐르는 물소리는 카사 마브라가 선사하는 가장 아름다운 공간 경험이다. 대지를 가로지르며 뻗어나간 이 벽체는 주택의 경사진 지붕으로 자연스럽게 이어지며 건축물만의 고유한 정체성을 완성한다.

질감의 대비가 빚어낸 시각적 투명성
건물 전체에 날것 그대로 노출된 송판 무늬 흑색 콘크리트는 다채로운 감각을 일깨운다. 이 거친 질감은 주변의 짙은 녹음은 물론, 원형 개구부로 쏟아지는 눈부신 햇빛과 만나 강렬한 대비를 이룬다. 흑색 안료가 주는 묵직함이 한국인에게도 친숙한 송판 무늬를 입고 한층 더 극적인 공간감을 빚어낸다.

각 볼륨의 끝부분은 시야가 탁 트인 전면 유리로 마감했다. 유리를 너머 시선을 던지면 숲의 풍경이 한눈에 들어오고, 발길은 밖으로 뻗은 작은 목재 테라스로 닿는다. 메인 침실 옆 테라스는 아늑한 휴식처가 되고, 거실 옆 테라스는 작은 수영장을 품은 여유로운 공간이 된다. 콘크리트가 뿜어내는 특유의 견고함은 이 대형 유리 창호와 만나 완벽한 시각적 대비를 완성한다. 넓은 유리는 자연광을 실내 깊숙이 끌어들이고 바깥 풍경을 한 폭의 그림처럼 담아낸다. 마침내 묵직함과 투명성 사이의 절묘한 균형이 이 아름다운 집을 완성하고 있다.
Write by Gemini & Jean Browwn

Angular black-concrete volumes are punctured by small tree filled patios at this home in Mexico, completed by architecture studio Taller Alberto Calleja.

Named Casa Mavra, referencing the Greek word for black, the 1,300-square metre home sits surrounded by dense woodland in the town of Valle de Bravo.

Taller Alberto Calleja (TAC) crafted the home's low-lying form with black pigmented concrete to blend in with the shadows of the surrounding trees, aiming to create a "sculptural architectural object" that would not dominate the landscape.

"The intention was to create a strong and monolithic presence while allowing the spaces inside to remain intimate and closely connected to light, vegetation, and the experience of inhabiting the site," the studio told Dezeen.

"Although the house is conceived as a sculptural architectural object, it does not seek to compete with the landscape," it added.

"Instead, the intention was to position the volumes in a way that feels naturally grounded within the terrain, allowing the architecture to coexist with the mountains and vegetation rather than dominate them."

The two intersecting volumes of Casa Mavra form an X shaped plan, entered from the south via a long stepped path alongside a narrow pool of water and sheltered by a concrete wall that gradually rises in height.

This entrance route ends in a large patio space that divides a living, dining and kitchen wing to the west from a bedroom wing to the east.

Each of these wings is accessed via a semi external, covered corridor, linked to small patios with plants growing through circular and square cut-outs in the roof and walls.

"One of the most significant gestures is the continuous wall that rises along the access sequence, accompanied by the sound of water descending along the stairways," said the studio.

"As the wall unfolds through the site, it ultimately transforms into the inclined roofs of the house, becoming the architectural gesture that gives Casa Mavra its distinctive character," it added.

The board marked black concrete of the home's structure has been left exposed throughout, creating a strong contrast with both the surrounding greenery and the sunlight that enters through circular cut-outs.

At the end of each volume, fully glazed walls overlook the landscape and open out onto small timber terraces, providing a seating area alongside the main bedroom and a small pool next to the living area.

"The solidity of the concrete contrasts with large glazed openings that bring natural light deep into the interiors and frame views of the landscape, creating a balance between heaviness and transparency," said the studio.

from dezeen