Mexican architect Tatiana Bilbao built a massive family home that floats above a forested hillside and provides stunning views of the city of Monterrey, Mexico. Built from concrete, the brutalist-looking home was created while maintaining an interesting relationship with the topography of the site. Called Casa Ventura, the home was designed to flow horizontally, and present a very open and fluid vibe.
Designer: Tatiana Bilbao
Bilbao, basically, broke down the volumes of the home, and seamlessly connected them together, so each volume effortlessly transitions into another with the help of a few steps. The volumes are shaped like pentagons, and follow the uneven and jagged topography of the landscape, giving the impression that the home is floating amidst the trees of the steep hill. The pentagonal volumes also feature cantilevered structures, equipped with full-height glazing, and beautiful terraces that give access to panoramic views of the city.
The material of choice for building Casa Ventura was raw concrete, to perfectly complement the climatic conditions of the site, as well as the structural requirements. Since the weather is quite erratic and extreme in the area, concrete was an excellent choice to efficiently control the intense weather changes. Aesthetically, concrete also imparts the home with a sense of rawness and honesty. It gives the home a monolithic quality, as well as a rough yet powerful exterior.
Since the home comprises of individual volumes, it can be sectioned off into different public and private spaces. A spiral staircase provides access to and connects the multiple levels. The lower levels of the home function as communal areas, whereas the upper levels house the private rooms.
