Architecture: Zendejas Arquitectos
Documented area: 800 m²
Description: The project begins with an essential condition of the site: its relationship with the landscape.
From the moment the client acquired the property, one of its main attractions was the view toward the mountain and a nearby cliff. This natural condition had a strong presence, and from the beginning it became clear that the house should be designed around it.
The first challenge appeared when the site was studied more closely. The views were partially blocked by the perimeter wall of the residential development, while the descending topography of the lot created a significant difference in elevation in relation to the street.
At the same time, the client had a clear requirement: the bedrooms, social areas, and main living spaces were to be concentrated on a single level, while the service areas and parking were to remain on a separate floor.
The solution emerged directly from the topography itself.
The parking and service areas were placed on the lower level of the site, taking advantage of the natural slope, while the main living spaces were elevated above them. This operation solved both the access from the street and the need to recover the views toward the landscape by rising above the height of the perimeter wall.
In this way, what initially seemed to be a limitation became one of the most important architectural decisions of the project.
The house is entered by car through a ramp that descends toward the garage. From this level, a helical staircase leads to the main floor and arrives at a double-height entrance hall that functions as the central organizing space of the house, distributing movement toward the different areas.
The living and dining areas are oriented directly toward the mountain. Large glazed surfaces frame the vegetation and the cliff, incorporating the landscape into the interior experience of the house. More than simply a view, the exterior becomes a constant presence, creating a sense of calm, privacy, and contemplation.
The path toward the bedrooms unfolds through one of the most distinctive spaces in the house.
A longitudinal corridor is naturally illuminated from above by a sequence of timber beams supporting a glass roof. Sunlight filters through the structure, producing a constantly changing pattern of light and shadow throughout the day, transforming the space according to the position of the sun.
Along this route, a small interior courtyard appears. A triangular metal planter contains a ceiba tree, introducing vegetation, texture, and movement into the architecture. Its presence accompanies the circulation and transforms the corridor into more than a simple passageway.
At the end of the corridor, a television lounge is partially enclosed by glass walls and a timber screen. The space remains visually connected to the rest of the house and to the exterior, while preserving the level of intimacy required for its use.
The bedrooms follow the same spatial logic.
From each room, the views extend across the central courtyard and culminate once again in the landscape that originally inspired the project. The mountain and the cliff reappear throughout the house, establishing a continuous relationship between interior and exterior.
The house was conceived as a sequence of open, free, and light-filled spaces.
The intention was not to create an isolated object, but to open the architecture toward a landscape that was already there. The views did not need to be invented.
They only needed to be found, recovered, and framed.
The material palette responds to the same search for clarity.
Smooth plaster finishes and white paint dominate the interior spaces, creating a clean and serene atmosphere. Timber introduces texture and warmth, while weathered metal adds strength, depth, and color, appearing as a contrasting element in façades, flooring, and selected architectural details.
Glass completes the composition and defines the main façades, allowing the house to remain visually connected to its surroundings.
The result is a functional, luminous, and permeable house in which architecture is shaped through movement, light, and framed views.
A house that does not attempt to impose itself on the landscape.
It opens itself toward it.
Because in this project, the landscape was always there.
The architecture simply had to learn how to look at it.
