Working with a site that was full of dozens of big trees, the design team and builders chose to integrate the modern home into the existing landscape, laying the foundation around the growth. “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 Paz Arquitectura over at Archilovers. “The floor plan is free of columns and the changes in level adapt to the existing topography.”
This isn’t your standard tree house though. The home employs a lot of concrete, wood paneling, and glass, with large windows connecting the indoors with the natural world outside. And all those right angles make the existence of living trees all the more striking. The tiered home also features catwalks on the highest level, which pass through the trees to the home’s entrance. Work on the Casa Corallo began back in 2008, and it was finished in 2011.
+ Paz Arquitectura
Via inthralld
Photos by Andrés Asturias
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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 Corallo House in Guatemala City. The luxurious home, which was designed a
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The home has a wide-open floor plan — the only things interrupting the flow of space are the trees.
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Viewed from the front, Casa Corallo is a very large, modern home, mostly made of concrete and glass.
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Large holes were cut in the structure of the home to allow the tree trunks to pass through.
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The tree trunks create a striking contrast with the home, which features a lot of right angles and straight lines.
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The exterior of the home features several natural materials, including stone and wood paneling.
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The Corallo Home features large windows that look out on the dense stand of trees that surround the home.
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One of the most dramatic trees in the house cuts through the stairwell, right next to a set of semi-floating stairs.
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“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.
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The fireplace and hearth sit beneath the pruned branches of a living tree.
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The large glass windows help to connect the interior space with the outdoors.
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The multi-level home is built into a hillside that is full of big trees.
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At the Corallo House, you can commune with nature, both inside and out.
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All of the right angles in the modern home make the existence of living trees all the more striking.
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