Red Steel House by Penelas Architects is a Glass Faced Forest Retreat
Located in Las Rozas, a township of Madrid, Spain is a two-storey house called Hidden Pavilion. Designed by Penelas Architects and built with red steel and glass, the home offers both spectacular views and shelter from a lush forest.
The entire red steel building is built using only three materials; rusted steel, glass and cherry wood which is used in the interior.
The bedrooms are located on the lower level as is the bathroom which is placed at the rear. The 2nd story is the social zone which includes a terrace that projects out and over the decline of the sloped landscape.
Five red, tubular light wells stretch up to the sky from the rooftop terrace, directing sunlight through and down to the kitchen, dining and living spaces.
The rear façade of the upper level is slanted to accommodate the space needed for a 200-year-old Holm Oak.
The red steel house blends harmoniously with its surroundings and was built on the only natural clearing within the lush forest.
The light wells are centrally positioned over the open floor plan below.
Aside from the light wells, the walls of glass bounce refracted light into the home’s interior spaces. Clerestory windows above the kitchen cabinets make sure there are no “dark” spots.
The interior features cherry wood finishes on the cabinetry and the ceilings to compliment the red steel house. The ceilings are kept from feeling too dark by the light wells and LED lights that are asymmetrically located throughout the zones.
Designed as a place for meditation and retreat, the 70 square metre red steel house is fully embedded within the forest.
Each level has an outdoor area and each outdoor area is located on a different side of the red steel house.
While the red steel house showcases “red” via the rusted steel and cherry wood finishes, the view is all about nature’s palette of greens, blues and yellows.
A spiral staircase travels up a glass tower on the outside of the red steel house, connecting the floors as it leads to a rooftop terrace.
Each terrace is strategically staggered to allow for future growth of smaller trees.
Gutters project out past the red steel house footprint, creating a beautiful water story when it rains, visible on two sides of the spiral staircase.
From the rooftop terrace the homeowner is able to look over the treetop canopy.
Privacy is not a concern; the forest takes care of that.
Unlike the rooftop terrace, the lower level perspective of the forest is up close and personal.
The 2nd story terrace cantilevers out from the red steel house and features a gap in the floor to allow a tree to continue to grow. The terrace projects out and over a small waterfall placed beneath the house. From this terrace, a series of staggered platforms arranged around the house lead to an upper level garden at the rear.
Photography by Miguel de Guzman
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