Location: Santa Rosalía, Guatemala City Architects: Alejandro Paz – Paz Arquitectura Collaborators: Axel Mendoza, Gabriel Rodriguez, Alex Titus, Mario Roberto Paz, Claudia Pezarozzi, Wolfgang Schoenbeck Garden design: Pokorny and Valencia, Landscape Architecture Construction: Conarq / Paz Arquitectura Structure: Structural Consultants Surface of the plot: 1,876.18 m2 Constructed surface: 747.50 m2 Materials: Reinforced concrete, masonry, laminated glass, tempered glass, treated wood, manchiche-type wood and metal structure. Bathroom fixtures: Duravit – Hansgrohe Furniture: Dido, Luminaire Project year: 2008 Construction year: 2009-2011 Photographs: Andrés Asturias
Located on a dense hillside forest in the Santa Rosalía area of Guatemala City, Corallo House integrates the existing forest into the layout of the house. It merges nature into the architectural intervention. The design process began with the aim to preserve the existing trees, in order to have the trees interact with the living space.
The floor plan is free of columns and the changes in level adapt to the existing topography. Both façades are mostly glass in order to connect the interior to the exterior. The main structural component is exposed concrete, which shows the rustic texture of the wood formwork, allowing a dialogue between the formal element and the textures of the forest.