A modern, multi-level treehouse in the middle of a Mexican forest

A set of wide concrete stairs leads up to Casa en el Bosque (translated to “house in the forest”). True to its name, the modern house is nestled into a forest in El Barrel, Mexico, where its layout has been arranged around 17 trees that originally inhabited the land.

Instead of a building a monolithic structure, Mexican studio WEYES split the home into four separate volumes that move up the sloped plot of land and are connected by a series of external stairs, corridors, and walkways. Each volume appears to float on a concrete slab and is set amongst the trees like its own discrete treehouse.

WEYES Studio

The four sections of the house—the “social pavilion,” “private resting pavilion,” “pavilion for visitors,” and a garage and storage area—together form blocks of glass, brick, and concrete. WEYES aimed to design the spaces to minimize energy consumption. Skylights and windows provide lots of natural light; the trees provide enough shade on hot days, and the double brick walls retain the heat during the winter.

The interior of the house is a direct reflection of what’s happening outside—brick walls sit next to timber built-in storage, while concrete floors abut a span of floor-to-ceiling windows that seem to bring the outside indoors.

WEYES Studio

WEYES Studio

WEYES Studio