MASS APPEAL

An intriguing new build by Lucio Muniain channels the best of 20th-century Mexican architecture

- ANA KARINA ZATARAIN

One house stands out amid the tranquil streets and manicured lawns of a neighbourhood in San Luis Potosí, central Mexico. Carved into the unadorned façade of the concrete monolith is a hefty wooden door, leading to a cosy home that belies the severity of its exterior.

It was a straightforward commission: a house for a family of six, with four bedrooms, and areas for indoor and outdoor leisure. For Mexico City-based architect Lucio Muniain, however, the most important gestures in any space he designs are ‘those that the client wouldn’t normally think to ask for’.