We draw quiet buildings for strong sun, heavy rain and restless ground.
Taller Tierra is a practice of nine architects working from a former print shop in Roma Norte. We design houses, cultural spaces and new lives for old buildings across Mexico and Latin America, where the ground, the light and the material do most of the talking.
Selected buildings, one conversation about restraint.
San Rafael Neighbourhood Library
2025- Loc.
- Mexico City
- Type
- Public / cultural
- Area
- 1,180 m²
Casa Mazunte
2023- Loc.
- Oaxaca coast
- Type
- Retreat house
- Area
- 72 m²
La Textilera Doctores
2022- Loc.
- Mexico City
- Type
- Housing / adaptive reuse
- Units
- 32
Capilla del Agave
2020- Loc.
- Jalisco highlands
- Type
- Sacred
- Seats
- 40
| No. | Project | Year |
|---|---|---|
| P.07 | Mercado Cultural Santa Ana | 2026 |
| P.01 | San Rafael Neighbourhood Library | 2025 |
| P.06 | Casa Patio | 2024 |
| P.05 | Casa Barranco | 2024 |
| P.02 | Casa Mazunte | 2023 |
| P.03 | La Textilera Doctores | 2022 |
| P.04 | Capilla del Agave | 2020 |
Fewer moves, made carefully.
We spend the first weeks of every project on the site, not at the desk — walking it at noon and at dusk, tracing where the April sun bites and where the July rain runs, learning which view deserves the one big opening.
-
i.
Read the ground
Slope, soil, seismic risk and the rainy season set the plan before any sketch. A house should look like it grew from its hillside, not landed on it.
-
ii.
One honest material
We pick a primary material and let it carry the building — concrete, volcanic stone, brick, earth — detailed so it can age without apology.
-
iii.
Shade as programme
Rooms gather around courtyards, deep eaves and cross-ventilation. We model every project for the hardest afternoon of the dry season before we think about air conditioning.
-
iv.
Build less, better
Smaller footprints, reused structures and local stone and earth. Our average project since 2021 carries 38% less embodied carbon than a conventional concrete-frame reference.
Nine people, one long table.
Taller Tierra was founded in 2011 by Mariana Reyes Ocampo and Tomás Arriaga after a decade working in Barcelona and Basel. The name means “earth workshop” — a reminder that every building starts in the ground.
We deliberately stay small. A partner leads every project from first site visit to handover, and we take on no more than eight commissions at a time. Models are built in-house; drawings are still started by hand.
- Mariana Reyes OcampoFounding partner
Leads housing and cultural work. Teaches design studio at the national university.
- Tomás ArriagaFounding partner
Leads houses and sacred projects. Stone and concrete detailing obsessive.
- Lucía BenavidesAssociate, interiors
Furniture, joinery and work with local craftspeople.
- Diego Salinas RuizAssociate, sustainability
Passive cooling, life-cycle analysis and reuse strategies.
Awards & publications
- 2025Mexico City Prize for Public ArchitectureSan Rafael Neighbourhood LibraryWinner
- 2024Latin American Architecture BiennialCasa MazunteSelected
- 2024Ibero-American Prize for TransformationLa Textilera DoctoresShortlist
- 2023National Biennial of Mexican ArchitectureLa Textilera DoctoresSilver medal
- 2021Americas Concrete AwardCapilla del AgaveWinner
- 2021“Small Sacred Spaces” — monograph featureCapilla del Agave, 12 pagesPublished
Have a site in mind?
Tell us a little about the place and what you hope to build. We reply to every enquiry within three working days, and first site visits within the Valley of Mexico are free. We work in English and Spanish.