Domus Áurea

Campo Baeza's work can be framed, given the historical moment of its execution and its formal characteristics, as contemporary architecture strongly influenced by the modern movement. Thus, it is seen as a constant throughout his work, and especially in the Domus Aurea, the influence of the twentieth-century architect Luis Barragán and his style tending towards minimalism and debtor of the Bauhaus and European avant-garde. Among the characteristics of his work that Baeza subsequently applied, resources such as his game of plans and the use of simple forms and lines to delimit large and unloaded spaces are highlighted. Thus, many of the features of the aforementioned artistic movement in the Domus Aurea can be identified: Destruction of the architectural box: Mechanization and standardization: Methodology: Modern language: Sources: campobaeza.com Planreforma.com

In this post we will discover the relation between the interior and exterior spaces of the Domus Aurea. The house is located in the mountainside, but we can see the skyline of a nearby city from the building, so the house has a certain height from the town level.  However, A.C.B. gave more importance to the mountain views, causing the sensation of isolation from the city centre.  Also, as we´ve seen, throught C.Baeza´s work he has always tried to make the spaces as naturally iluminated as possible, so in this house, he took advantage of the good lighting of the area providing this house with a south orientation.

The interior decoration made by the Mexina architect Gilberto L Rodriguez is luxurious, with an interior lift, a swimming pool and fully equipped rooms. Also, it has a  pool located on the terrace of the last floor of the house, where a rectangular frame from with the emblematic Sierra Madre is seen. The house has a clear symmetry. The visitor enters through a  courtyard with an entrance hall. Inside the space flows between the three floors generating a large room; "a generous central space, sum of two vertical double-height spaces that, when joined vertically displaced, create a feeling of great amplitude. All spaces of the house converge in that central space." - Alberto Campo Baeza     The name comes from the golden light that soaks the entire house from the reflection generated by a large golden wall on the upper floor. It is a tribute to the Mexican architect Luis Barragán who created, with the German painter Mathias Goeritz, similar golden wa