1i Arquitectura’s House of the Tall Trees celebrates a spectacular forested site
This Mexican retreat, House of the Tall Trees, makes the most of a wooded site with a striking combination of glass, timber and concrete
The Mexican practice 1i Arquitectura has created House of the Tall Trees - a sylvan weekend retreat for a family of four, conceived as a bold design of concrete and glass that’s threaded through a secluded woodland plot with a towering double-height space as its centrepiece.
House of the Tall Trees: a sylvan retreat in a 'jewel of a side'
The House of the Tall Trees sits on what the architects call a ‘jewel of a site’, with just the right amount of privacy, planting and rolling contours, as well as a stream that runs through the site, marking its edge. The architects describe the project as ‘an ode to tranquility in the forest,’ and the design does everything to maximise the sense of immersion in its surroundings.
The principal structure is a slender concrete and glass volume set beneath a pitched roof and ranged across two floors. The heart of the house is the soaring living room, with kitchen, dining rea and a sunken conversation pit set beneath a roof that goes right to the top of the pitch to create a sense of unbounded space volume. Glazed walls match the verticality of the surrounding tree trunks, bringing the forest into the room.
The central space is flanked by bedrooms, with two on each floor pushed to the edges of the plan. This gives each ensuite room a sense of extreme privacy, with an uninterrupted view of out to the woodland, as well as a private balcony. The architects have taken extreme care with the alignment and orientation of everything from windows to cabinetry, with meticulously composed timber beams left exposed on the underside of the roof.
On each side of the main pitched roof house is an ancillary building, a carport and utility area up the slope to the north, and a small wedge-shaped concrete study area on the terrace to the south. The public areas extend into the landscape, with a courtyard to the north that contains a pool and fountain (concrete, naturally), and a terrace opening into the forest to the south. The annexe structure also has its own private terrace with Jacuzzi, an ‘intimate space [that] offers an escape within an escape, a place of retreat and relaxation.
1i Arquitectura has offices in Mexico City and San Miguel de Allende. With a broad portfolio that encompasses everything from shopping centres to apartment buildings, the firm also recently completed a private urban house in Querétaro.
Wallpaper* Newsletter
Receive our daily digest of inspiration, escapism and design stories from around the world direct to your inbox
Jonathan Bell has written for Wallpaper* magazine since 1999, covering everything from architecture and transport design to books, tech and graphic design. He is now the magazine’s Transport and Technology Editor. Jonathan has written and edited 15 books, including Concept Car Design, 21st Century House, and The New Modern House. He is also the host of Wallpaper’s first podcast.
-
A new limited-edition Rhodes piano and Gibson doubleneck guitar aim for the stars
The new Rhodes Mk8 Earth Edition piano and Gibson Jimmy Page EDS-1275 Doubleneck guitar revisit classic instruments at a price
By Jonathan Bell Published
-
The new interior design trends we spotted at Salone del Mobile 2024
These are the interior design trends to look out for in 2024 and beyond, from soft upholstery to conversation pits and low dining
By Rosa Bertoli Published
-
Tiffany & Co nods to its theatrical history with a surreal new campaign
Tiffany & Co campaign ‘With Love, Since 1837’ sees Dan Tobin Smith and set designer Rachel Thomas create an offbeat set
By Hannah Silver Published
-
Antonio Solá offers a residential haven of calm in Mexico City
Antonio Solá, a new housing project by architecture studio Módica Ledezma, is a complex of four townhouses that offer serenity in the bustle of Mexico City
By Ellie Stathaki Published
-
A Mexican artist’s studio makes the most of light and volume in San Miguel Chapultepec
A Mexican artist's studio and home, designed by JJRR in the heart of Mexico City, makes the most of volume and light for its owner, Stefan Brüggemann
By Ellie Stathaki Published
-
Pabellón de la Reserva and its sustainable architecture nod to its natural setting
Pabellón de la Reserva by architecture studio Hemaa offers an idyllic countryside getaway, a stone's throw from Mexico City
By Ellie Stathaki Last updated
-
Orchid Pavilion channels Japanese philosophy for blossoming flowers in Puerto Escondido
Orchid Pavilion by CCA Centro de Colaboración Arquitectónica provides fitting shelter for flower conservation in Mexico's Casa Wabi
By Ellie Stathaki Published
-
Residential development The Village on the Yucatán Peninsula frames its verdant environment
The Village by Sordo Madaleno is a meticulously composed apartment building, built on a strict grid with an emphasis on outside space and connection to site
By Jonathan Bell Published
-
Casa Carrizo was designed as a breezy Mexican beach house
Casa Carrizo, designed by Mexican architecture studio BAAQ, is a beach house sitting on the idyllic shores of Mexico’s Pacific coast
By Ellie Stathaki Published
-
Casa HMZ by Lucio Muniain offers a labyrinthine sense of gradual discovery
An intriguing new build by Lucio Muniain channels the best of 20th-century Mexican architecture
By Ana Karina Zatarain Published
-
1i Arquitectura’s Casa Pedregal keeps its inner secrets safe from the street
A dramatically lit concrete interior defines Casa Pedregal, a new family house designed by 1i Arquitectura in Mexico
By Jonathan Bell Published