The House in the Forest: A property that respects nature

The House in the Forest is a property that respects nature, trees and vegetation.

The house was built with a mixed system of concrete, metal structure, wooden beams and glass.

It is a contemporary house, since it was made with very modern materials, structural and construction techniques.

«This house is for nature,» said Daniel Álvarez, director of Grupo Arquitectura, when asked about the house in the forest, a construction in which the limits with the outside world are blurred, full of trees and vegetation that could mislead and make one think that it is everywhere.

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“We are very interested in the landscape, it makes a very important percentage of the draft, be it a desert or a house in the middle of the jungle, it seems essential to me that it has the interior-exterior reference, and this residence exemplifies it very well: it is a house designed exactly for that terrain,” said the architect.

Building the House

«We are very interested in the landscape, it makes a very important percentage of the project, be it a desert or a house in the middle of the jungle,» said Daniel Álvarez, director of Grupo Arquitectura. Photo: Reform Agency

The terrain was complicated, since it had a slope of about 20 meters, almost seven stories high, and a large number of trees, which laid the foundations of the design, as it was decided not to touch a single one and adapt to the topography of the property . To do this, they made a very detailed topographic survey with each species of tree and shrubs so that the foundation would not hurt its roots.

The residence consists of two bodies that are joined by means of steel bridges with a glass floor that do not touch the trees and that, when crossing them, make it appear that you are walking on the vegetation.

Respect for nature

House in the Forest consists of two bodies that are joined by means of steel bridges with a glass floor that do not touch the trees and that, when walking through them, make it seem that you are walking on the vegetation. Photo: Reform Agency

«In the center of the land there were some tremendous trees, to free them we decided to build up a whole volume of services, the garage, the laundry, the warehouses, cisterns, and electrical utility rooms,» explained the architect.

«Then we saw that we could put another completely separate body and we made the one below, where the private areas, dining room, family room and bedrooms are located.» They then designed the glass bridges to join these two concrete structures.

Solid materials

House in the Forest consists of two bodies that are joined by means of steel bridges with a glass floor that do not touch the trees and that, when walking through them, make it seem that you are walking on the vegetation. Photo: Reform Agency

The house was built with a mixed system of concrete, metallic structure, wooden beams and glass, which allows to have totally open clearings without supports, with the idea of ​​integrating the exterior spaces with the interior ones. «The entire structural system is completely visible,» said the architect.

The staircase is part of the glass bridges and does not touch the forest either, as it is completely blown up. The program consists of three bedrooms with dressing room and bathroom, living room with TV, living room, dining room, living room with dining room and family, kitchen, laundry, utility rooms, cellars, machine rooms and parking, in addition to the outdoor Jacuzzi with fireplaces and terrace, pool and garden bathrooms.

Property characteristics

Casa en el Bosque was built with a mixed system of concrete, metal structure, wooden beams and glass, which allows to have totally open clearings without supports, with the idea of ​​integrating the exterior spaces with the interior ones. Photo: Reform Agency

In terms of sustainability, it has an optimal orientation: the volumes are towards the south and east to capture the sunlight on the terraces, thus, all spaces have a comfortable temperature. Similarly, the crystals are Low-E, there is a wastewater recycling system for irrigation and another one of latest generation filters for water purification.

The architect describes it as a contemporary house, since it was made with very current materials, structural and construction techniques, including the entire connectivity and automation system. “From day one I thought about doing a work that seems to have been there for 100 years, everything was respected; some trees seem to have occurred together with the house, as they grew on the perimeter ”, Álvarez concluded.