A Family Retreat Outside Yosemite Frames California Gold Country Like a Postcard

Mexico City firm PPAA punched a large hole through its center for picture-perfect views of oak trees, boulders, and rolling hills.

Oct 26, 2023 - 19:34
A Family Retreat Outside Yosemite Frames California Gold Country Like a Postcard

Mexico City firm PPAA punched a large hole through its center for picture-perfect views of oak trees, boulders, and rolling hills.

Existing boulders from the site were moved and used as minimalist landscaping at Casa Roca. Solar panels above were prefabricated off site so as not to disturb the surroundings.

They loved Coarsegold for its natural beauty: unsullied views of the Sierra Madre’s rolling foothills, and Yosemite National Park just up the road. Orange County couple Juan Pablo Santillan and Tania Alvarado have been bringing their family to the area for the past several years to stay in a cottage on 22 unspoiled acres, which reminded Juan of his childhood, when he’d spend time outdoors with his brothers, sisters, and cousins. Wanting the same for their kids, he and Tania decided to purchase land in nearby Yosemite Lake to build a retreat of their own.

So as not to disrupt the surroundings, PPAA designed the home where a clearing already existed. Founding Partner and Creative Director Pablo Peréz Palacios says voids are essential to his work. "How do we do more with less?

Outside Yosemite National Park, PPAA designed a yakisugi-clad retreat for a young family that fell in love with the Sierra’s rolling foothills. The firm placed the home where a clearing already existed.

Photo: Rafael Gamo

Juan, a tech entrepreneur, and Tania, an industrial designer, started talking with architect Pablo Pérez Palacios of Mexico City firm PPAA over Zoom about what a design might look like. They met in person for the first time on a camping trip to the property, where everyone pitched tents to think about how a home could complement the setting.

"We didn’t want a large-scale project, just framing nature was the concept," remembers Palacios. "Architecture shouldn't be a protagonist. Let the site be the show."

Two large openings flank the east and west sides of the home, offering expanded indoor-outdoor living and cross ventilation.

An opening running east to west creates an indoor/outdoor scheme that draws air through the home.

Photo: Rafael Gamo

"The common areas are made for a seamless move from one place to another,

"The common areas are made for seamless movement from one place to another," says homeowner Juan Pablo Santillan. "You open the doors and see people at the fireplace. You can be in the living room and feel like you’re a part of that."

Photo: Rafael Gamo

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