This incredible modern home is built on three levels following the incline of a lush hillside in Santa Rosalia, Guatemala City. The intentions of Alejandro Paz of Paz Arquitectura was to preserve the trees existing on the site and to incorporate them into the structure. The result is a building which is truly part of its environment while retaining its status as a unique contemporary home.

Built of exposed concrete which both contrasts with and enhances the natural texture of the trees, visible from every room in the home via the glass facade of the house. The wooden floors extend seamlessly to the external decks, integrating the house into the landscape. The forest is literally brought into the living space by the inclusion of several mature trees which impressively pass through the floors of the living spaces, a true dialogue between an urban home in a rustic setting.


Architect: PAZ Arquitectura – Alejandro Paz
Location: Santa Rosalía, Guatemala City, Guatemala
Collaborators: Axel Mendoza, Gabriel Rodriguez, Alex Titus, Mario Roberto Paz, Claudia Pezarozzi, Wolfgang Schoenbeck
Landscape Design: Pokorny y Valencia, Arquitectura de Paisaje
Construction: Conarq / Paz Arquitectura
Structure Design: Consultores Estructurales
Built Area: 747.50 sqm
Completion: 2011
Photographs: Andres Asturias