Five Cubist Hideaways Peek Out From a Mexican Pine Forest

Constructed out of brick, wood, and soil excavated from the site itself, these monolithic dwellings embody the connection between nature and the built environment.

Text by

Michele Koh Morollo

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Designed by Puebla-based practice Taller Hector Barroso, five minimalist weekend homes dot a pine forest in the town of Valle de Bravo, each one in harmony with the topography of its site.

Constructed from soil culled from the site, combined with wood and brick, the five buildings have a warm, earthy, terracotta color, their architecture intimately tied to place through the choice of material.

A sun-drenched bedroom on the ground level

A mysterious staircase leads up to the bedroom

The 3,660-square-feet residences of this housing development called Entre Pinos are identical in form and layout.

Five weekend houses in the town of Valle de Bravo

Each building is composed of six volumes that are configured to create a void in the center of the house.

The house is composed of six volumes whose layout creates a void in the center.

This central courtyard frames tranquil views and provides its owners with a private, intimate sanctuary.

Full-height glass doors connects the living areas with the garden and forest outdoors.

Within the larger volumes, the space underneath the interior staircases are cut out from the facade to reveal a saw-toothed, hollowed-out space on the lower corners in certain sections of the exterior walls.

The interior staircases are cut out from the façade.

A saw-toothed, hollowed out section on the exterior wall

Except for one volume, which has a slightly sloping roof, the roofs on the other volumes of the house are flat.

On the north, the volumes are solid and closed, but to the south, they open up to bring in natural light, and draw in garden and forest views.

A minimalist dining table and large fireplace

The living area, dining area, kitchen, and one of the bedrooms— all of which occupy the ground floor of the two-story house—extend to meet the property’s outdoor terraces, patios, and the garden.