Located three hours by road from Mexico City, the Terreno House simultaneously addresses two theoretically contradictory demands: shelter in the extreme climate of a region where there can be thermal drops and rises of more than thirty degrees in the course of a single day; and openness to the immensity of landscapes surrounding the construction. Shelter and openness are achieved thanks to the house being laid out around four courtyards of different shapes and sizes, and their being set at different levels generates spaces characterized by varying relationships between interior and exterior. This duality of the house is reflected in its materials: whereas the outside is of brick, the inside is of concrete and wood. In this way, the red tone and wrinkled texture obtained from using ceramic in the upper face contrast with the smooth surfaces and neutral hues of the lower face, in a polarity complemented by the clay and green surfaces used in the roofs in the name of sustainability... 
[+][+]