Project: Casa Ferrum
Architecture: Miró Rivera Architects+ Ibarra Aragón Arquitectura
Interiors: Ibarra Aragón Arquitectura IAARQ
General Contractor: Canada Grupo Inmobiliario
Structural Engineer: Sociedad de Diseño Constructivo
Location: Monterrey, Mexico
Area: 8065 ft2
Year: 2021
Photo Credits: The RAWS, Adrian Llaguno
Occupying a tight urban site, Casa Ferrum embodies the essence of Monterrey. The home’s sinuous profile reflects the meandering ridge of the Sierra Madre Oriental, while its metal pipe screen recalls the industrial origins and metallurgical history of the old town of San Pedro Garza García. A continuous ribbon of metal pipes wraps the perimeter of the building—blending solid wall, window, and open-air screen.
Rounded corners accentuate the flow of the ribbon—dissolving the discrete volumes and façades while softening the sharp corners created by the trapezoidal site. Punched openings and recessed planter windows add depth, texture, and shade. The metal pipes serve as a rainscreen for solid walls; as privacy and shading for selected windows; and as a double-layered open-air screen for the entry vestibule and outdoor living space. The white screen is contrasted by the dark bronze finish of the window frames, sliding garage doors, and pivoting front door.
The home and site were designed around an existing tree, which serves as the focal point of the private garden and outdoor living space. A cantilevered concrete ribbon wrapped in pipes provides shade to an outdoor seating and dining area, while a trapezoidal lap pool extends along the southern edge of the lawn. The living room opens up to the backyard via two large sliding glass doors that retract into a hidden pocket. Inside the house, private spaces—including bedrooms, family rooms, and support spaces like the kitchen and utility room—are clustered into two wings.
The wings are separated by the double-height entry vestibule on the ground floor level and connected by a glass bridge on the second level. Within each wing, the private spaces are connected to shared public spaces, including the double-height living room, glass-walled media room, and a dining room that opens onto the outdoor living space. The third floor hosts a game room/home theater and rooftop terrace, which capitalize on the location’s sweeping views of the Sierra Madre Oriental to the north and south.
The material palette of the interior creates a dialogue with the outside. Natural stone flooring on the ground level continues from interior to exterior, while warmer oak was used for floors on the upper levels. Interior windows and partition glass further blend the language of interior and exterior; provide natural light and visual connections throughout the house, and create acoustic separation and privacy. Above the sliding doors and windows in the living room, vertical wood paneling echoes the pattern of the exterior pipe screen. A deep and narrow slot window in this paneling frames the canopy of the existing tree. The custom-built sculptural credenza at the front entry is fabricated from cut pipes arranged into an organic shape.
