Ezequiel Farca

The second Rizzoli publication dedicated to an important member of the Mexican and Latin American architectural vanguard, celebrating exceptional craftsmanship and refined sophistication, and guided by the ideals of Mexican modernism.

Farca looks to the work of the late design icon Luis Barragán for inspiration, blending tradition with modernity. He focuses on the importance of collaborating with indigenous artisans who work in age-old Mexican crafts, to create environmentally sustainable, indoor/outdoor spaces and furniture with a palette of natural materials, translated through a contemporary luxury lens. This lavish volume features sixteen of his newly built private residences in Mexico and California that show off his spectacular designs for seamless indoor and outdoor living.

Notable projects include sun-drenched beach houses in Los Angeles and throughout Mexico that integrate artisanal practices, such as mosaics and patterns of hammered copper, which contribute to the local communities. At the start of any project, Farca and his team undertake a detailed bioclimatic study of a site, documenting the wind, light, and temperature conditions hour to hour and day to day. Those shifts generate the framework for layouts, form, flow, and material choices. At the Los Jales house in Jalisco sun washes deliberately across exterior walls of stucco and cast-in-place concrete, their distinctive surfaces shifting into an immersive tapestry of complementary gray tones, a tableau en grisaille. Beyond the exterior walls the unexpected awaits, be it a sublime courtyard planted with branching cacti; a seamless sweep of pool, surf, and sky; or a floating central staircase bathed in natural light. Step through the front doors and the outside world recedes as textures, surfaces, finishes, and geometries come into focus, inviting exploration and contemplation.

Samuel Cochran is global features director at Architectural Digest where he oversees architecture, art, and travel. Glenn Sestig is a Belgian architect and designer at Glenn Sestig Architects, whose work stands out for its poise and precision in the most sophisticated, unassuming way.