Trees Pass Through the Interior of Paz Arquitectura’s Casa Corallo in Guatemala City

Guatemala is known for many things — Mayan ruins, volcanoes — but modern architecture isn’t necessarily one of those things. But that could change with the completion of the <a href="http://www.pazarquitectura.com/proyectos/casa-santa-rosalia/">Corallo House</a> in Guatemala City. The luxurious home, which was designed by <a href="http://www.pazarquitectura.com/">Paz Arquitectura</a>, was built into a lush hillside in Guatemala City’s Santa Rosalía area. The house isn’t just surrounded by trees; it actually has mature trees growing right through the living room!

The home has a wide-open floor plan -- the only things interrupting the flow of space are the trees.

Viewed from the front, Casa Corallo is a very large, modern home, mostly made of concrete and glass.

Large holes were cut in the structure of the home to allow the tree trunks to pass through.

The tree trunks create a striking contrast with the home, which features a lot of right angles and straight lines.

The exterior of the home features several natural materials, including stone and wood paneling.

The Corallo Home features large windows that look out on the dense stand of trees that surround the home.

One of the most dramatic trees in the house cuts through the stairwell, right next to a set of semi-floating stairs.

“The design process began with the aim to preserve the existing trees, in order to have the trees interact with the living space,” writes architect Alejandro Paz of the home.

The fireplace and hearth sit beneath the pruned branches of a living tree.

The large glass windows help to connect the interior space with the outdoors.

The multi-level home is built into a hillside that is full of big trees.

At the Corallo House, you can commune with nature, both inside and out.

All of the right angles in the modern home make the existence of living trees all the more striking.