This house is nestled on the foothills of the Sierra Madre Oriental Mountain range, on the outskirts of the city of Monterrey, Mexico. The site offers a flatter terrain, surrounded by a lush forest. The house is meant as a pied-à-terre for the owner who resides abroad. We envisioned it as a place for complete immersion in the natural environment, deliberately avoiding any exposed views of the nearby dense city of Monterrey. Our goal was for the site to become the experience itself.
Inspired by the owner's personal rituals, we conceived a series of pavilions arranged within the landscape, forming a square in response to a cloistered geometric design. This layout encouraged a pilgrimage between the pavilions, creating a daily ritualistic act.
We determined three primary materials for this project: wood, glass, and tiles. Each of these materials took center stage in one of the three volumes (only two of which are currently built). The pavilion you encounter upon arrival almost seems to blend into the surroundings, creating a tension between the dense forest, the inhabitant, and the architecture. This pavilion is predominantly constructed from tempered glass. During the day, it nearly disappears, allowing you to feel one with the environment, while at night, it replicates your presence within the natural surroundings. This space serves as the central hub for gatherings, featuring wood as its main interior material, with tiles selectively used for screening certain areas.
A second pavilion, situated farther away, caters to more intimate activities. This pavilion is built with a regular roof tile cut in sections and stacked, for the walls these stacked tiles are filled with earth, creating a protective screen for the intimate space. Glass elements expose these rooms to the exterior, and wood defines the floors and interior spaces, effectively becoming integrated furniture.
The third pavilion, which has not yet been built, is primarily designed with wood. With interior divisions featuring glass and a tiled floor, it’s envisioned as a treehouse on stilts overlooking the forest.
