
Casa Nidos
Rozana Montiel opens the doors to Casa Nidos, a project nestled in the El Peñón ecological reserve, designed as a warm elevated home to enhance the views, much like bird nests suspended in the trees.
This weekend family house in Valle de Bravo, is located in the ecological reserve El Peñón. The house is subtly resting above the earth suspended by a series of load-bearing walls that touches the ground in a surface of only 10 square meters. The house was conceived as a warm dwelling elevated to expand the views, just as the birds’ nests are suspended in the treetops. Its program interweaves interiors of elevated panoramic visuals with cool vegetated exteriors; it integrates all the trees on the building floor into its terraces, and interweaves a pine and oak forest, a forest-to-meadow transition, and a wildflower meadow.
The house was conceived as a warm dwelling elevated to expand the views, just as the birds’ nests are suspended in the treetops.

Alzado / Elevation
Ilustración / Illustration: Rozana Montiel
The program is divided into three zones within the site: the first with the access, parking and service area, the second located in the central part of the site where the main construction or family house is located, consisting of an elevated rectangular volume that separates the public and private areas from the central access, and the third located in the lower part of the site, where the visitor’s bungalows, the watering hole and vegetable garden are located on the cultivation nests.

Volúmen principal / Main volume
Fotografía / Photography: Sandra Pereznieto

Interior del volumen principal / Interior of main volume
Fotografía / Photography: Sandra Pereznieto
The house is a concrete monolith, visually warm, because of its wood-colored finish that was given to the cement both inside and outside.

Integración de la vegetación en el volumen de invitados / Integration of vegetation in guests volume Fotografía / Photography: Sandra Pereznieto
Thanks to the load bearing walls, which elevate the entire family house, different routes are produced, humidity is avoided and the lower space is used to expand the recreational program of the house in the garden: the jacuzzi is connected to the hammock area and outdoor living rooms; the helicoidal stairs allow different readings and uses that expand the functions of the space.
The play of volumes alternates areas of light and shade between open and closed
spaces, as occurs between the treetops.

Texturas, sombras, vegetación y escalera / Textures, shadows, vegetation and staircase Fotografía / Photography: Sandra Pereznieto
In Casa Nidos, rainwater is collected on the roofs. The collected water is filtered and directed to a subterranean cistern with a capacity of 100,000 liters of water. The excavation of the cistern and its cover was incorporated into the design of the house to create a flat garden that serves as a common outdoor space for the family. The cistern serves the elevated tank located in the upper part of the forest, which carries water by gravity to the wet areas of the house. The excess water from the cistern is directed to the house’s pond. The rainwater collected on the roofs of the bungalows is conducted directly to the pond. All wastewater is then directed to a water treatment plant located in the lower part of the house, which supplies a small cistern dedicated to irrigation. The rest of the wastewater is infiltrated into the ground.

Vista posterior / Back view
Fotografía / Photography: Sandra Pereznieto
It is a construction that has been carefully designed down to the last detail in its proportions, textures, materiality and atmospheres to generate a diverse program of versatile and habitable spaces.