Archello Awards 2026 · Enter your projects before 30 September 2026
Archello Awards 2026 · Enter your projects before 30 September 2026
Casa Escalera
Edgar Ruiz

Casa Escalera, a forest house

Casa Escalera stands within a plot inside a coniferous forest near Valle de Bravo, Mexico. A light downhill slope within the terrain became the starting point for the design process where we adapted the building’s structure to the natural topography of the site. From far behind, the house appears to be a slender concrete volume that grows along with the pine trees.

photo_credit Edgar Ruiz
Edgar Ruiz
photo_credit Edgar Ruiz
Edgar Ruiz

The process of entering the house becomes a sinuous path between ferns and tall pines that gradually unveil the residence. A brick tower hosts the bedrooms with the intention of reducing the footprint of the house to a minimum and enhancing different interactions with the forest at multiple levels. The public area of the house is a single contained space wrapped by floor to ceiling windows, generating a continuous space that opens entirely towards the forest. 

photo_credit Edgar Ruiz
Edgar Ruiz
photo_credit Edgar Ruiz
Edgar Ruiz
photo_credit Edgar Ruiz
Edgar Ruiz
Caption
Caption
Share or Add Casa Escalera to your Collections