August 23, 2026 | DESIGN & INTERIORS
CASA B
a WELCOMING LABYRINTH
words YUZU Editorial
photos PACU
In Oaxaca, RootStudio turns a five-metre difference in elevation into the starting point for Casa B, a family compound where three residences, courtyards and shared spaces unfold in close dialogue with the surrounding landscape.
Set between two streets at different elevations in Oaxaca, Casa B is organised as a sequence of level changes, courtyards and varied paths through the architecture. One might cross water, descend a spiral staircase or follow a concrete passage into an internal courtyard, each shift establishing a different relationship with the surrounding landscape.
Completed in 2025 after five years of design and construction, the nearly 700-square-metre project brings together three white-concrete residences, two courtyards and a communal level below. The brief gave RootStudio an unusual degree of freedom: to create a place where family life could move between private and shared spaces, while allowing for different ways of living without compromising privacy. The result is what the studio describes as a “welcoming labyrinth”—three autonomous residences that also form part of a collective whole.
Founded in Oaxaca City in 2009 by João Boto Cæiro and Fulvio Capurso, RootStudio is a multidisciplinary practice spanning architecture, design, illustration, painting and sculpture. Casa B reflects this multidisciplinary approach, bringing architecture, interiors, construction and artistic collaboration together within the same project.
FOLLOWING THE TOPOGRAPHY
From the street, Casa B appears as a sequence of restrained volumes that protect domestic privacy. Inside, the architecture opens onto courtyards, reflecting pools and vegetation, with views across the San Felipe Nature Reserve, Oaxaca and the valleys towards Tlacolula, maintaining a close relationship with the landscape.
Bedrooms, terraces and communal spaces are organised around particular views—a mountain at sunrise, a strip of sky or a shadow moving across a wall—keeping the surrounding valley present throughout the house.
White concrete defines both the material and architectural language. Chosen for its plasticity, it shapes planes, voids, staircases and walls with continuity. Formwork joints establish scale across the façades, while perforated walls filter daylight and cast shifting shadows over the courtyards and water.
MATERIALS ALONGSIDE CONCRETE
The interiors introduce timber, stone and leather against the mineral presence of the concrete. Dark stone surfaces with pale veining add depth, while natural timber, softly textured walls, leather seating and reddish-hued window frames bring warmth to the spaces. The lower communal level takes on a more intimate atmosphere through a darker material palette, creating a deliberate counterpoint to the brighter volumes above.
WATER, ART AND EVERYDAY LIFE
Water plays a central role in the organisation of Casa B. In the main courtyard, the swimming pool also functions as a reflecting pool. A shallow plane of water mirrors the architecture, staircase, sky and perforated wall, with a deeper central section designed for swimming. At points, the path crosses the water, with reflections shifting on either side throughout the day.
In another courtyard, a high-fired ceramic fountain-sculpture by artist Luis Zárate incorporates a vertical garden, allowing water to cascade gently across its surface.
Art is integrated throughout the complex. The entrance gates and metal screens reinterpret the design of a bracelet by Mexican artist Francisco Toledo, translating it into cut and folded metal at an architectural scale. The screens filter sunlight and cast changing shadows, while Zárate’s ceramic work and silhouettes by Fulvio Capurso on the rooftop extend the presence of art throughout the house.
Across its three residences, courtyards and shared spaces, Casa B returns to the condition that shaped it from the beginning: the five-metre change in elevation that organises the architecture and its relationship with the landscape.
