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A Three-Story Concrete House Hidden Among The Trees

By Simona Ganea | Published on

Steep slopes make building quite difficult but they’re rarely considered deal breakers when it comes to modern residential projects. This concrete house is a good example. It’s designed by Biselli Katchborian Arquitetos and occupies a piece of land close to a forest which gives it a really cool view but also presents certain problems related to the difficult topography. In response to that, the architects came up with a unique design which uses these elements in its favor. It’s difficult to judge the entire house as an ensemble and that’s because it has a rather diverse structure.

The house has three floors in total, the middle one being just slightly above the street levelView in gallery
The house has three floors in total, the middle one being just slightly above the street level
The top floor is an elongated concrete box that cantilevers above the garage and the terraceView in gallery
The top floor is an elongated concrete box that cantilevers above the garage and the terrace

The entrance is on what would normally be considered the ground floor. However, this is actually the middle floor, with one level below and another one present above it. The lower floor houses the social area of the house as well the service area and the master bedroom. It has box-like shape and a black exterior. The upper floor is an elongated, cantilevered volume clad in concrete and with a mostly opaque exterior. It contains the children’s bedrooms and offers a nice view over the forest. The design and structure of the house as a whole is very dynamic, clean and simple but at the same time quite striking which is exactly what the architects were going for.

The unusual structure of the house was dictated by the difficult topography, namely the steep slopeView in gallery
The unusual structure of the house was dictated by the difficult topography, namely the steep slope
The main entrance area is placed on the middle floor in the area that links the main sections of the houseView in gallery
The main entrance area is placed on the middle floor in the area that links the main sections of the house
The second largest structure is the cubic-shaped lower volume which contains the social areasView in gallery
The second largest structure is the cubic-shaped lower volume which contains the social areas
The open porches, terraces and staircases extend the indoor areas outsideView in gallery
The open porches, terraces and staircases extend the indoor areas outside
The lower section of the house has an entirely glazed side facing the courtyardView in gallery
The lower section of the house has an entirely glazed side facing the courtyard