nine individual blocks compose the black concrete bruma house in mexico

mexican architects fernanda canales and claudia rodríguez have collaborated on casa bruma, a house that combines nine black-concrete blocks built around a large patio. located in valle de bravo, mexico, the 600 sq.m structure adapts to the topography of its landscape, where each volume is designed with a different height to allow it to appear and disappear between the surrounding slopes.

all images © rafael gamo

casa bruma takes the form of an ‘exploded house’, within which canales and rodríguez have distributed the program, balancing between independence and connections amongst the individual units. the four blocks that house the kitchen, dining room, main room and children’s room are linked by sheltered corridors, while another two units are designed as guest rooms, and the remaining two serve as a garage and services room. each block faces the courtyard on one side, with the other side looking out towards the surrounding landscape to ensure enough privacy and natural light throughout the day. two of the blocks are topped with accessible roof terraces, while the remaining seven feature greenery.

fernanda canales and claudia rodríguez have attributed a timeless character to the house by combining four main materials: black concrete, wood, stone and glass. a semi-hidden route shapes the entryway, leading inhabitants into the the protected courtyard.