Casa El Pinar
Architect: CF Taller de Arquitectura and Merodio Arquitectos
Location: Valle de Bravo, México
Type: House
Year: 2022
Photographs: Rafael Gamo
The following description is courtesy of the architects. Casa El Pinar is a modern home in Valle de Bravo, a short distance away from Mexico City. It stands amongst the trees in harmony with the surrounding landscape. The design required a staggered layout in order to work with the sloped terrain and to save as many trees as possible. The built footprint was kept to a minimum, allowing the forest itself to take center stage.
Rising from the rugged topography, the elongated house utilizes basic materials, including FSC-certified structural pine wood, concrete, steel and local stone, while leaving finishes exposed, both inside and out. The luxury of the spatial quality of each of the rooms lies in the subtlety of the design and the constant view of the forest.
The main volume features a concrete basement clad in stone that contains the service areas, while the floor above showcases the textured concrete wall as the star of the north façade. A stone staircase, almost hiding in plain sight against the basement wall, leads to the main door.
This side of the house remains closed off for weather protection, while the opposite side includes floor-to-ceiling windows that let in the warmth of the sunlight. The constant visual connection with the forest, as well as the quiet it provides, contribute to the tranquil atmosphere of the space.
A sweetgum tree lives within a glass-enclosed central courtyard that physically separates the main public areas while maintaining a visual connection, creating a sense of flowing spaciousness.
Concrete floors juxtapose structural laminated pine beams and plywood covered ceilings adding texture and warmth. Smaller details are kept to neutral colors, including black joints and window frames, as well as black and gray furnishings throughout. The project is simple and honest in essence. Instead of existing separately, the structure and the finishes mimic each other; they are one and the same.
Clerestory windows keep hallways and rooms filled with natural light. The sloped roof responds both to the heavy rains in the area and the desire to capture sunlight. A long hallway connects the living room with the home’s private spaces, which includes three bedrooms, each with its own bathroom and closet space.
At the other end of the volume, a concrete bungalow is connected to the main house through the covered terrace, which features a jacuzzi. This bungalow houses the TV room and a guest bedroom. Like the main house, it opens to the south, connecting the interior with the exterior.
FSC-certified, laminated pine was used for the structure. As a construction system, wood alone boasts a negative balance of carbon emissions, in addition to being a renewable material. Wood does not emit CO2 or any other waste that is toxic to humans; all it requires is simple maintenance with oil every two years to ensure good performance and durability. An SPL rainwater harvesting system and a TIM wastewater recycling treatment plant were installed to irrigate the green areas.
We were particularly keen on using certified mass timber for this structure, as innovation on engineered laminated wood for structural applications is breaking new ground across the world. In Mexico, the reality is a bit different, most forests are not being sustainably harvested even when local communities are eager to incorporate responsible and sustainable practices, thousands of hectares are still lost to agriculture or urban development every year.
Sustainable forest management has the potential to encourage the reforestation of areas previously deforested for agriculture and livestock, as is already the case in many regions of the country, with different plant fibers, such as conifers, tropical timber in the southeast and bamboos in the southeast.
The wood as building material is the future of skyscrapers and multi-level buildings, large clearings and public buildings, the only limitation is the basements and underground levels, for the rest, wood is the only construction system with a negative balance of carbon emissions, besides being a renewable material.
The trunks of the pine trees frame the forest views from any point in the house; with its clean lines and sparse materials, this house is an understated retreat that invites reflection and contemplation.
Project Details
- Project Name: Casa El Pinar
- Architecture: CF Taller de Arquitectura + Merodio Arquitectos
- Architects: César Flores and Mikel Merodio
- Design Team: Jessica Cano, Ana Voeguelin, Nadia Martinez, Bruno Huerta, David Gordillo
- Location: Valle de Bravo, Estado de México
- Year: 2021
- Built sq m: 430 sq m
- IG:
- @cftaller
- @merodioarquitecos
- Photography: Rafael Gamo
- Lightning: ILWT
- Water Collection System: SPL Sistemas Pluviales
- Water Treatment System: TIM Tecnologías Integrales Medioambientales
- Text: Fatima Cabrera
