Arango House

The house was commissioned by Mr. and Mrs. Jeronimo Arango as a weekend retreat for themselves and their four children. Specifically, they wanted great views of Acapulco Bay, choosing a hillside site for this purpose. Lautner responded with a two-story concrete structure of some 2300 square meters. Five bedrooms and servant quarters are tucked into the lower level, while an enormous open terrace on the upper level, sheltered by a canopy, serves as the main living and dining space. And then there’s the moat—a 1.8 meter wide swimmable channel ringing the entire terrace, with a continuous overflow at its perimeter. The moat not only underscores the dazzling sweep of ocean and open air, but also, ingeniously, keeps bugs and land critters from wandering into the house and eliminates handrails that would spoil the view.