One man’s passion for horses inspired the design of his family’s vacation home, set in the mountains two hours from Mexico City. The linear, gable-roofed wood structure contains four bedroom suites that float above the ground floor’s reception hall and the expansive living and dining area, finished in wood and stone and outfitted with furniture by renowned French designer Christian Liaigre. Additional quarters for the household help are also included in the elongated volume. Partially depressed on one side of the house is a riding ring, while on the other are horse stables with roofs covered in vegetation. 'The concept was to mix horses and people, landscape and architecture,' recalls CC Arquitectos principal Manuel Cervantes Cespedes. 'Pedestrian and horse paths flow together.'

An obvious concern was the odor such close proximity to horses would produce inside the residence. To address that, the design relies on passive ventilation, with stables oriented to create a cross-flow of air between the open corridor and the house it segregates from the 20 open-air horse stalls. Says Cespedes, 'It's amazing how we eradicated that issue.'