Nestled into a lush forest ridge in Valle de Bravo, Mexico, the House Between Two Rivers by Mancera + Taller 3000 is a masterclass in sustainable architecture and seamless integration with nature. Descending from above, the home is revealed through a series of hammered concrete walls, each framing a different aspect of life—living, resting, and the quiet contemplation of the surrounding landscape.
Arriving from the ridge, visitors are greeted by a retaining wall that anchors the home into the steep slope. Two additional walls discreetly conceal the program: one shelters the open-plan living space, kitchen, and casual gatherings, while the other, further down, houses the bedrooms and intimate courtyards. The design embraces the natural topography, with the living bar positioned perpendicular to the ridge, its bifolding Spanish cedar doors left open to the western vista, where sheer curtains flutter in the breeze.
The bedroom bar, two meters lower, is embedded deeper into the southern slope, its thermal mass concrete walls regulating temperature as mountain days shift into cool nights. Small garden courtyards act as open-air terrariums, filtering light into the corridor separating the rooms from the hillside. Built from cinderblock with a thin concrete render, the walls subtly reveal their joints in the humid air, adding texture to the minimalist aesthetic.
Connecting the two bars is a trapezoidal stairway, a geometric pivot that allows the home to cascade naturally down the slope. Above, the living area feels expansive and airy; below, the bedrooms offer a more cavernous retreat. Further down, a hidden pool sits behind shrubbery, while the kitchen remains underground, a quiet counterpoint to the openness above.
Beyond its striking form, the house excels in off-grid living, drawing water from a nearby spring and relying on solar panels and battery storage for power. The thermal mass of the concrete walls eliminates the need for artificial heating, making it a model of passive design.
In Valle de Bravo, where rivers flank the site, Mancera + Taller 3000 have crafted a home that doesn’t just occupy the land—it becomes part of it. The House Between Two Rivers is a poetic balance of brutalist materiality and organic flow, where every element, from the humid concrete walls to the billowing curtains, feels like an extension of the forest itself.