Atelier Garcia’s Concrete House Merges Brutalism With Landscape
A grounded base, transparent pavilion and an open deck enable effortless indoor–outdoor living.
Summary
- Designed by Atelier Garcia, the Concrete House features a distinct, triangular structure
- Situated on a hilltop in Columbia, the home features a three-strata design with a grounded plinth and an open-air roof
Atop a hill in Colombia, Atelier Garcia’s Concrete House emerges as both a belvedere and a carved shelter, anchored by raw concrete and oriented toward the Rock of Guatapé and its reservoir. Its triangular plan, molded by the terrain’s angles, defines three axes that choreograph movement and views across three interlocking strata: a grounded plinth linked to surrounding gardens, a transparent upper level framing distant panoramas and an open-air roof deck. This layered approach balances the home‘s intimacy and exposure within a clear, landscape-driven diagram.
The program and structure enact this diagram through purposeful, multi-functional elements. Secluded private quarters tuck into the lower volume, opening selectively toward the forested slope and gardens, while an unfettered social pavilion occupies the upper level. Three sculptural supports – each defined by unique geometry – anchor the roof: a triangular fireplace, a rectangular column concealing kitchen storage, and a rounded stairwell crowned by a skylight. This interplay of compression and release, utility and sculptural form, yields an interior that calmly frames rather than competes with its natural context.
Circulation ascends an organic ramp to a bridge connecting the primary volume and a circular roof terrace, offering uninterrupted 360-degree vistas and reinforcing the house’s threefold dialogue with its landscape. By overlapping and interlocking geometries, the design achieves abstract clarity, producing dynamic spatial sequences that shift between interior intimacy and panoramic exposure. Materially, the concrete plinth and floating roof solidify the building’s bond to its site, employing restrained form to foreground the surrounding panorama and seamless transitions from inside to sky.
