Mexico’s Hidden Hill in Front of the Glen House Recalls a Childlike Innocence | Designs & Ideas on Dornob - Feed https://dornob.com Architecture, Interior and Furniture Design Thu, 07 Aug 2025 23:57:26 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=6.6.1 Mexico’s Hidden Hill in Front of the Glen House Recalls a Childlike Innocence https://dornob.com/mexicos-hidden-hill-in-front-of-the-glen-house-recalls-a-childlike-innocence/ Thu, 02 Dec 2021 20:13:28 +0000 https://dornob.com/?p=85111 Tasked with building a home that provided both protection and oneness with the surrounding mountains, HW Studio Architects took their inspiration from a common childhood scenario. “How can one feel protected? What can be done when one feels vulnerable?” the Mexico-based studio mused. “This question

The post Mexico’s Hidden Hill in Front of the Glen House Recalls a Childlike Innocence first appeared on Dornob.

]]> Tasked with building a home that provided both protection and oneness with the surrounding mountains, HW Studio Architects took their inspiration from a common childhood scenario.

Exterior view of HW Studio Architects'

“How can one feel protected? What can be done when one feels vulnerable?” the Mexico-based studio mused. “This question was accompanied by an image, or perhaps a memory: a frightened child covering himself with a light bedsheet as he peeks out to make sure he can see what is going on around him.”

Misty view of the sunken

Misty view of the Hill in Front of the Glen's minimalist concrete facade, with a large semicircle window in the center.

The result was a home that resembles exactly that: a concrete roof reminiscent of a light bedsheet nestled into the soft grass of the landscape, and a semicircle window rising in a gentle slope like the head of a little one checking to see if it’s safe yet.

Person enters the high-walled, narrow concrete pathway leading to the entrance of the Hill in Front of the Glen.

Wider view of the Hill in Front of the Glen home's narrow concrete walkway

Called “The Hill in Front of the Glen,” the new home in the forests of Morelia, Mexico begins with a walkway lined with concrete walls leading down into the underground retreat. The passageway is wide enough for one person to comfortably navigate but narrow enough to prevent two people from walking side-by-side, casting visitors into “a pilgrimage of solitude.” Along the journey, a large tree intersects the footpath, forcing a deviation in direction.

A large tree intersects the Hill in Front of the Glen home's concrete pathway.

This pathway eventually leads to the solid pearled stone steps and heavy steel entry door. Once inside the concrete vault, guests can explore the more social living, dining, and kitchen areas on one side, or the more private bedroom spaces on the other. They’ll even find that the light sources have been matched to the intended mood and purpose of each wing.

Minimalist concrete hallway inside the Hill in Front of the Glen home, with warm wooden accents on the floor and doors.

“Public areas on the left side of the house are completely exposed to the wooded ravine, and on the right side are open more timidly to a courtyard with treetop and sky views,” HW Studio notes.

Minimalist living area inside the Hill in Front of the Glen home, comprised of concrete walls and warm wooden accents.

Mnimalist bedroom area inside the Hill in Front of the Glen home, complete with a large glass wall and views of the forest outside.

The contemplative ambience of this project was a good fit for the firm, who has a longstanding history of valuing quiet designs. They explain that “HW Studio derives its name from the union of the letter H – considered a silent letter and a graphic representation of silence in Spanish – and the letter W – taken from the Japanese concept Wabi-Sabi, which has no Spanish translation or direct equivalence with any Western concept – understood as the beauty of the impermanent.”

They add that “We understand architecture as being the act of placing limits within the void and that these limits achieve an elegant beauty of humble simplicity.”

Aerial view of the Hill in Front of the Glen home shows just how well it blends into the surrounding forest.

The home also blends discreetly into the surrounding forest, according to the client’s wishes. It was never meant to be the showcase of the setting.

“The architecture is like an accent on the words of a poem, like a comma or a question mark, but never the actual poem itself,” the studio explains. “The poem is already written by the pines, the oaks, the sweet acacia, the fireflies, the road, the fence, the neighbor’s water well, the earth, the orchard, and the nightingale.”

The Hill in Front of the Glen's minimalist open plan living and dining areas, with views of the surrounding forest through the large semicircle opening in the background.

To achieve that goal, the architecture firm used minimal materials to complete the simplistic design. Concrete takes center stage, creating the structure of the “lifted layer of grass,” while wood floors and furniture warm up the coldness of the walls. Meanwhile, steel accents like door handles and clothing rods provide hints at the modern world that created this hidden bungalow.

The post Mexico’s Hidden Hill in Front of the Glen House Recalls a Childlike Innocence first appeared on Dornob.

]]>