Press kit no. 5118-06

Journalists, explore this publication-ready project. Create a free v2com media account to download high-resolution images.

Create a media account
Press kit - Press release - Casa Tao: Shade as a Space for Life - HW Studio

Press Kit | no. 5118-06

Casa Tao: Shade as a Space for Life

Puerto Vallarta, Mexico

HW Studio

Morelia, Mexico, 2025-09-19 -  Some houses are not designed—they are remembered. Casa Tao was not born from a technical drawing, but from the silent memory of those who inhabit it. It is a house that does not seek to respond to an image, but to a life. Or rather: to a way of living.


Gustavo grew up in a humble house made more of effort than of materials. The son of farmers and craft merchants—people with rough hands and generous eyes—who, though their studies were prematurely interrupted, managed to instill in him a desire to understand the world. He grew up in Puerto Vallarta, a place on the Pacific coast of Mexico, where sun and humidity define the rhythm of the days, and where shade is not an accident, but a precious asset—a true refuge. From the beginning, the house needed to translate that need for shelter, for seclusion, for coolness. The concept of shade was not understood here merely as a physical phenomenon, but as an emotional condition: a promise of calm, of breath, of silent protection against a clamorous world.


But it was Gustavo’s personality—as rich and complex as the place of his childhood—that deeply shaped the design. With uncommon curiosity, he is a man who has made self-taught knowledge his path. Philosophy, architecture, music, photography: we get the impression that little is foreign to him. His library, filled with special editions by Alberto Campo Baeza, Fan Ho, Tarkovsky, an more reveals an affection for formal clarity, for essential geometry, for quiet courtyards that converse with emptiness and light. Speaking with him is to immerse oneself in a view open to the world—deeply sensitive, and at the same time precise.


His story with Cynthia, the second inhabitant, is also an essential part of this architecture. Together with their two daughters, Mila and Anto, they took their first trip abroad, to Japan. That journey left an indelible mark on their imagination: the aesthetics of emptiness, compositional cleanliness, and the stillness contained in every architectural gesture. They told the architects, with a smile, “We’d like to feel as if we were living inside a Japanese museum.” But they did not mean the solemnity of the museum as an institution, but rather that type of space where time slows down, where light filters gently, where silence becomes tangible.


And that is what HW Studio tried to do. In a neighborhood with no remarkable views, except for a tree-lined plaza that offered shade and breeze, they decided to orient the architecture toward that freshness. But they did not do so frontally. They avoided large glazed surfaces that might intensify the heat. Instead, they proposed an oblique, angled relationship that allows the presence of the plaza to be sensed without being fully exposed to the heavy sunlight. The act of dwelling is framed indirectly, as if the house were observing at a diagonal, modestly—letting only the wind and the fragrance of the not-so-distant sea pass through.


They placed the larger program—the bedrooms, garage, and service areas—at the base, and above it, they suspended a light, double-height box containing the social areas. This strategy allowed them to raise social life above street level, surround it with air, and open it toward the trees and the salty breeze that crosses the plaza. The elevated patios act as terraces for contemplation—small platforms from which to better breathe the scent of flowers and hear the murmur of wind among the treetops.


The bedrooms are organized around a patio, seeking silence and air. Here, intimacy is expressed through enclosure—not as confinement, but as an interior world. A curved wall receives the visitor gently, marking a welcoming threshold, while a tree greets you like a floral arrangement. The house does not look toward the neighborhood; it turns inward, like someone seeking refuge. But it does not close itself off: it opens to the sky, the shade, the plaza. Everything is arranged so that living happens in a slower, fuller way—more open to the invisible.


The materiality was inevitably tactile and sensory. Whiteness dazzles under the coastal sun, while concrete—heavy, honest—absorbs the light with delicacy. It is a concrete that becomes warm through use and time. In this material, light does not bounce; it settles.


Casa Tao is, ultimately, an architecture born of the desire to inhabit the world with greater attention. It is a house that withdraws discreetly and offers its spaces as atmospheres for contemplation and memory. In it, dwelling becomes a form of study, of pause, of gratitude. Every corner invites one to remain, not to pass through, and every shadow is a promise of well- being.


This deliberate search for shade—as refuge and poetic quality—brings us closer to a spatial understanding similar to that described by Junichirō Tanizaki in 'In Praise of Shadows'. There, Tanizaki does not celebrate darkness as the absence of light, but as a subtler way of seeing. In his text, shadow is not an obstacle, but a veil that ennobles—a way of amplifying the depth of things, of allowing beauty to emerge slowly, with humility. So too with this house: it is not illuminated assertively, but lets the penumbra suggest; it allows light to filter in without violence, and each space becomes a nuanced, contained sensory experience in which time thickens and life grows quiet.

Project description
Architects: HW STUDIO
Website: www.hw-studio.com
Contact e-mail: info@hw-studio.com
Facebook: @hwstudioarquitectos
Instagram: @hwstudioarq
Location: Puerto Vallarta, Jalisco, México
Google Maps link: https://goo.gl/maps/DK5R2RUy15PvEGND7 Completion Year: 2025

Size: 472 mts2 


Technical information
Lead Architect: Rogelio Vallejo Bores
Architects: Oscar Didier Ascencio Castro & Nik Zaret Cervantes Ordaz

Team: Juan Pablo Camacho Ayala
Structural Engineering: ARGA Constructora
Construction company: COMAQSO

Budget: 940,000 USD


Photo credits
Pictures: Gustavo Quiroz  IG:@gustavoquirozfoto
Pictures: Hugo Tirso Domínguez  IG:@tirso___
Pictures: César Belio  IG:@cesarbelio
Video: Mavix. Hugo Tirso Domínguez  IG:@mavix

About HW Studio 

HW Studio is an architecture studio that emerged in a time of great violence in Mexico, with the purpose of creating spaces that evoke and promote threatened peace.


The firm's design process focuses on the deep study and understanding of what they call the three universes: the universe of the future inhabitant, the universe of the place, and our own inner universe as designers.


This proposal seeks to move away from arbitrary and egocentric decisions to foster appreciation for what is truly important in life, eliminating the superfluous in architecture to achieve moments of inner peace through conscious contemplation. They conceive and strive for architecture that can calm the mind and immerse us in silence, where a small glimmer of peace can be found.


The name "HW Studio" comes from the combination of two letters: the letter H is considered the silent letter in Spanish, thus graphically representing silence; the letter W comes from the Japanese concept Wabi Cha, a concept they prefer not to try to explain, as language is the enemy of deep understanding.

- 30 -

For more information

  1. www.hw-studio.com
  2. www.dropbox.com/scl/fo/ry61qdizy05czs...

Media contact

Attachments

Casa Tao Text
PDF Plans, for image check Dropbox attached in more information
Low-resolution images ~ 5.8 MB
High-resolution tif images ~ 2.26 GB
High-resolution jpg images ~ 293 MB

Terms and conditions

For immediate release

All photos must be published with proper credit. Please reference v2com as the source whenever possible. We always appreciate receiving PDF copies of your articles.

The Shadow as a Space for Living — Casa Tao by HW Studio
Video credit: Mavix. Hugo Tirso Domínguez
Press kit | 5118-06 - Press release | Casa Tao: Shade as a Space for Life - HW Studio - Residential Architecture - Facade Southeast - Photo credit: Hugo Tirso Domínguez
Facade Southeast
Photo credit: Hugo Tirso Domínguez
Download

Very High-resolution image : 26.25 x 39.37 @ 300dpi ~ 24 MB

Press kit | 5118-06 - Press release | Casa Tao: Shade as a Space for Life - HW Studio - Residential Architecture - Aerial View of Southeast Façade - Photo credit: Hugo Tirso Domínguez
Aerial View of Southeast Façade
Photo credit: Hugo Tirso Domínguez
Download

Very High-resolution image : 26.25 x 39.37 @ 300dpi ~ 41 MB

Press kit | 5118-06 - Press release | Casa Tao: Shade as a Space for Life - HW Studio - Residential Architecture - Pedestrian Entrance - Photo credit: Hugo Tirso Domínguez
Pedestrian Entrance
Photo credit: Hugo Tirso Domínguez
Download

Very High-resolution image : 26.25 x 39.37 @ 300dpi ~ 26 MB

Press kit | 5118-06 - Press release | Casa Tao: Shade as a Space for Life - HW Studio - Residential Architecture - Top Aerial View of Pedestrian Entrance and Courtyards - Photo credit: Hugo Tirso Domínguez
Top Aerial View of Pedestrian Entrance and Courtyards
Photo credit: Hugo Tirso Domínguez
Download

Very High-resolution image : 26.25 x 39.37 @ 300dpi ~ 46 MB

Press kit | 5118-06 - Press release | Casa Tao: Shade as a Space for Life - HW Studio - Residential Architecture - Pedestrian Access Corridor - Photo credit: Hugo Tirso Domínguez
Pedestrian Access Corridor
Photo credit: Hugo Tirso Domínguez
Download

Very High-resolution image : 26.25 x 39.37 @ 300dpi ~ 26 MB

Press kit | 5118-06 - Press release | Casa Tao: Shade as a Space for Life - HW Studio - Residential Architecture - Top Aerial View of Pool - Photo credit: Hugo Tirso Domínguez
Top Aerial View of Pool
Photo credit: Hugo Tirso Domínguez
Download

Very High-resolution image : 26.25 x 39.37 @ 300dpi ~ 22 MB

Press kit | 5118-06 - Press release | Casa Tao: Shade as a Space for Life - HW Studio - Residential Architecture - Outdoor Patio - Photo credit: Hugo Tirso Domínguez
Outdoor Patio
Photo credit: Hugo Tirso Domínguez
Download

Very High-resolution image : 26.25 x 39.37 @ 300dpi ~ 26 MB

Press kit | 5118-06 - Press release | Casa Tao: Shade as a Space for Life - HW Studio - Residential Architecture - Pool - Photo credit: César Belio
Pool
Photo credit: César Belio
Download

Very High-resolution image : 26.25 x 39.37 @ 300dpi ~ 28 MB

Press kit | 5118-06 - Press release | Casa Tao: Shade as a Space for Life - HW Studio - Residential Architecture - Pool - Photo credit:  Gustavo Quiroz
Pool
Photo credit: Gustavo Quiroz
Download

Very High-resolution image : 26.25 x 39.37 @ 300dpi ~ 33 MB

Press kit | 5118-06 - Press release | Casa Tao: Shade as a Space for Life - HW Studio - Residential Architecture - Photo credit: César Belio
Photo credit: César Belio
Download

Very High-resolution image : 26.25 x 39.37 @ 300dpi ~ 28 MB

Press kit | 5118-06 - Press release | Casa Tao: Shade as a Space for Life - HW Studio - Residential Architecture -  Dining Room - Photo credit: César Belio
Dining Room
Photo credit: César Belio
Download

Very High-resolution image : 15.57 x 23.37 @ 300dpi ~ 12 MB

Press kit | 5118-06 - Press release | Casa Tao: Shade as a Space for Life - HW Studio - Residential Architecture - Living Room - Photo credit: Hugo Tirso Domínguez
Living Room
Photo credit: Hugo Tirso Domínguez
Download

Very High-resolution image : 26.25 x 39.37 @ 300dpi ~ 31 MB

Press kit | 5118-06 - Press release | Casa Tao: Shade as a Space for Life - HW Studio - Residential Architecture - Stairs - Photo credit: Gustavo Quiroz
Stairs
Photo credit: Gustavo Quiroz
Download

Very High-resolution image : 26.25 x 39.37 @ 300dpi ~ 40 MB

Press kit | 5118-06 - Press release | Casa Tao: Shade as a Space for Life - HW Studio - Residential Architecture - Bedroom Corridor - Photo credit: Gustavo Quiroz
Bedroom Corridor
Photo credit: Gustavo Quiroz
Download

Very High-resolution image : 26.25 x 39.37 @ 300dpi ~ 25 MB

Press kit | 5118-06 - Press release | Casa Tao: Shade as a Space for Life - HW Studio - Residential Architecture - Master Bedroom - Photo credit: Gustavo Quiroz
Master Bedroom
Photo credit: Gustavo Quiroz
Download

Very High-resolution image : 39.37 x 26.24 @ 300dpi ~ 36 MB

Press kit | 5118-06 - Press release | Casa Tao: Shade as a Space for Life - HW Studio - Residential Architecture - Bedroom Courtyard - Photo credit:  César Belio
Bedroom Courtyard
Photo credit: César Belio
Download

Very High-resolution image : 15.54 x 23.38 @ 300dpi ~ 13 MB

Press kit | 5118-06 - Press release | Casa Tao: Shade as a Space for Life - HW Studio - Residential Architecture - Guest Bedroom - Photo credit: Gustavo Quiroz
Guest Bedroom
Photo credit: Gustavo Quiroz
Download

Very High-resolution image : 39.37 x 26.25 @ 300dpi ~ 36 MB

Press kit | 5118-06 - Press release | Casa Tao: Shade as a Space for Life - HW Studio - Residential Architecture -  Bedroom Courtyard  - Photo credit: César Belio
Bedroom Courtyard
Photo credit: César Belio
Download

Very High-resolution image : 26.25 x 39.37 @ 300dpi ~ 29 MB

Press kit | 5118-06 - Press release | Casa Tao: Shade as a Space for Life - HW Studio - Residential Architecture - Guest Bedroom - Photo credit: César Belio
Guest Bedroom
Photo credit: César Belio
Download

Very High-resolution image : 23.38 x 15.58 @ 300dpi ~ 12 MB

Press kit | 5118-06 - Press release | Casa Tao: Shade as a Space for Life - HW Studio - Residential Architecture - Bedroom Courtyard - Photo credit: César Belio
Bedroom Courtyard
Photo credit: César Belio
Download

Very High-resolution image : 26.25 x 39.37 @ 300dpi ~ 29 MB

Press kit | 5118-06 - Press release | Casa Tao: Shade as a Space for Life - HW Studio - Residential Architecture - Study - Photo credit: Gustavo Quiroz
Study
Photo credit: Gustavo Quiroz
Download

Very High-resolution image : 26.25 x 39.37 @ 300dpi ~ 40 MB

Press kit | 5118-06 - Press release | Casa Tao: Shade as a Space for Life - HW Studio - Residential Architecture - Southwest Façade - Photo credit: Hugo Tirso Domínguez
Southwest Façade
Photo credit: Hugo Tirso Domínguez
Download

Very High-resolution image : 39.37 x 26.25 @ 300dpi ~ 33 MB

You may also like...

Same company
Newsroom | v2com-newswire | Newswire | Architecture | Design | Lifestyle - Press release - Casa Emma - HW Studio

Morelia, Mexico, 2024-10-24

Casa Emma

HW Studio

Same company
Newsroom | v2com-newswire | Newswire | Architecture | Design | Lifestyle - Press release - Shi house - HW Studio

Morelia, Mexico, 2024-04-17

Shi house

HW Studio

Same company
Newsroom | v2com-newswire | Newswire | Architecture | Design | Lifestyle - Press release - Enso II - HW Studio

Morelia, Mexico, 2023-07-13

Enso II

HW Studio

Same company
Newsroom | v2com-newswire | Newswire | Architecture | Design | Lifestyle - Press release - No Name House - HW Studio

Morelia, Mexico, 2023-05-16

No Name House

HW Studio

Newsroom | v2com-newswire | Newswire | Architecture | Design | Lifestyle - Press release - The Hill in Front of the Glen - hw studio

Morelia, Mexico, 2021-10-18

The Hill in Front of the Glen

hw studio

Newsroom | v2com-newswire | Newswire | Architecture | Design | Lifestyle - Press release - Journal Square Urby - Concrete Amsterdam

Amsterdam, Netherlands, 2025-09-30

Journal Square Urby

Concrete Amsterdam

Newsroom | v2com-newswire | Newswire | Architecture | Design | Lifestyle - Press release - Anchorage Road Artist Studio - Ballman Khapalova

Ithaca, United States, 2025-09-24

Anchorage Road Artist Studio

Ballman Khapalova

Newsroom | v2com-newswire | Newswire | Architecture | Design | Lifestyle - Press release - Miramar Tower - OODA

Porto, Portugal, 2025-09-22

Miramar Tower

OODA

Newsroom | v2com-newswire | Newswire | Architecture | Design | Lifestyle - Press release - Maison du Ruisseau - Le local Design

Montreal, Canada, 2025-09-11

Maison du Ruisseau

Le local Design

Newsroom | v2com-newswire | Newswire | Architecture | Design | Lifestyle - Press release - Le Noroît - Guillaume Pelletier Architecte

Montreal, Canada, 2025-09-02

Le Noroît

Guillaume Pelletier Architecte