Contemporary Forest House

Casa de la Roca is located in the middle of a forest two hours north of Mexico City and achieves the perfect balance between the merging of the surrounding landscape and vegetation and the simultaneous highlighting. The house, designed by Cadaval & Solà-Morales, has three different observation wings with floor-to-ceiling windows at their ends that are separated from each other and connected by a central “knot” that is protected but open to the outside.

The unique landscape around the forest retreat extends to the roof of the low-rise building and gives it a certain anonymity in the midst of the intense vegetation and the lush view. At the same time, the house is being painted black, using paint rather than dye, as the architects point out, as a protective layer of material that reinforces its character and ensures that it will survive the elements for many years. The design strategy has been influenced by the decisions based on maintenance, structure and thermal behavior, as well as the visual weight architecture must have in landscapes as outdated as the house occupies.

The interiors are open to the outside as much as possible: there is extensive glazing everywhere to fill the rooms with daylight and to allow the owners the view. The interiors are made of wood, concrete and stone and are characterized by minimalist aesthetics. The furniture is a mix of contemporary and modern items, and the color palette is rather reserved, based on natural hues.