Home Architecture

Organic Underground House Shaped Like A Peanut

By Simona Ganea | Published on

The iconic image of the hobbit house which looked like it was an actual part of the land is stuck in our brains ever since the movie helped us visualize it so vividly. Of course, the idea of a hobbit house and even actual representations of it have existed long before that. A perfect example is an organic underground house designed by architect Javier Senosiain and completed in 1984.

Inside, the house has a cave-like vibe with organically-shaped spaces, uniquely sculptedView in gallery
Inside, the house has a cave-like vibe with organically-shaped spaces, uniquely sculpted

The design and the concept still look futuristic and fantastic even today. The house is located in Naucalpan de Juárez, in Mexico and has a peanut-inspired structure in the sense that it’s organized into two pods, two oval volumes connected by a narrow tunnel.

The hobbit house has a two-zone structure, with a day area and a night zoneView in gallery
The hobbit house has a two-zone structure, with a day area and a night zone
The walls, ceilings and built-in furnishings are sculpted in ferro-cement with a marble powder and white cement paste coatingView in gallery
The walls, ceilings and built-in furnishings are sculpted in ferro-cement with a marble powder and white cement paste coating
The moldable materials used throughout give the house plasticity and a very organic appearanceView in gallery
The moldable materials used throughout give the house plasticity and a very organic appearance

This timeless and unique hobbit house is almost entirely embedded into the land and in order to make that possible the architects started the project by actually shaping the site and making it look almost like a skateboard track covered in grass. Underneath it all there’s a metallic skeleton with concrete poured over it and a coat of polyurethane on top for insulation and waterproofing. Earth and grass cover everything, turning the area into a beautiful and vividly-colored garden. The house is seamlessly embedded into the slope with windows poking through.

The entire site looks like a green dune, with soft slopes and a very smooth appearanceView in gallery
The entire site looks like a green dune, with soft slopes and a very smooth appearance
The ground around the house is all a garden and you can actually walk on top of the roof without even realisingView in gallery
The ground around the house is all a garden and you can actually walk on top of the roof without even realising
The interior is surprisingly bright and airy thanks to the large, uniquely-shaped windowView in gallery
The interior is surprisingly bright and airy thanks to the large, uniquely-shaped window
The window wraps around the social area like a shield and is slightly curved, in tone with the designView in gallery
The window wraps around the social area like a shield and is slightly curved, in tone with the design
Trees and bushes were used to create green barriers and to filter the sunlight. They also keep the dust and noise at bayView in gallery
Trees and bushes were used to create green barriers and to filter the sunlight. They also keep the dust and noise at bay
One of the window sections is actually a glass door which connects the house to the garden which surrounds itView in gallery
One of the window sections is actually a glass door which connects the house to the garden which surrounds it
The two main volumes are shaped like big ovals similar to the chambers of a peanutView in gallery
The two main volumes are shaped like big ovals similar to the chambers of a peanut
The entire ground had to be shaped using a metal installation with concrete then poured over itView in gallery
The entire ground had to be shaped using a metal installation with concrete then poured over it
This is a visualization of how the two main volumes are positioned on the siteView in gallery
This is a visualization of how the two main volumes are positioned on the site
Although it may seem as if the house was inserted into the ground, it's actually quite the oppositeView in gallery
Although it may seem as if the house was inserted into the ground, it’s actually quite the opposite