Cozy Mix: Heavy Concrete Home, Flowing Green Roof Forms
If Wright and Le Corbusier were around today they might just agree that this home is the best of both Modernist worlds – combining the free-flowing Prairie Style interpretations of the former and the hard and linear Bauhaus concrete forms of the latter.
“Comfortable” and “concrete” rarely go together, but the balance out outward-looking, floor-to-ceiling windows, groomed landscape and surrounding forests help to offset the stark contemporary white, black and gray interiors.
The whole structure sitting within a single story helps as well, making it feel more tied to the ground (and effect reinforced by green ramps and roofs). Whether or not A Cero directly borrowed these strategies from early Modernists is hard to say, but it seems to work regardless.
Seasonal colors outside are largely left to speak for themselves, with bedroom, dining room and bathroom interiors dominated by muted tones, sharp lines and the occasional splash of blue or red – though a large-scale projection screen in the media room and some dynamic dining room lighting add interest as well.
So, would you feel at home in this house despite the extensive use of concrete, or is it still too minimalist for your tastes? One final touch that might have helped to offset the heavy architecture and material qualities: a little less landscaping and a bit more wild plant life outside of the structure, but to each his (or her) own, as they say.
