Incredible Glass House Honors Nature

Forest lovers will appreciate the beautiful modern glass home recently built in a secluded glade near Madrid. Penelas Architects‘ Hidden Pavilion was completed in 2016 in a quiet forest just northwest of Spain’s capital city.

The Hidden Pavilion is a minimalist but attractive two-story home designed to accommodate human residents and surrounding trees. The second floor is carefully angled to allow room for a 200-year-old holm oak so it can continue its life unimpeded. The structure also includes openings in the roof terrace and veranda that allow younger trees to spread out.

The 753-square-foot Hidden Pavilion has a bedroom, bathroom, patio and large closet on the first floor, and a kitchen and dining area on the second floor. The floors are connected by a spiral staircase. The basic structure of the house is made of steel and the interior areas that aren’t glass are cherry wood.

The walls are mostly made of glass to encourage immersion in nature and there are currently no window coverings.

While the forest encompasses much of the house, a trip to the rooftop veranda offers panoramic views of the local environment. In addition to the open roof, there is a spacious second-floor veranda that perches over a small waterfall. Chimney-like tubes in the ceiling encourage light to travel into the home, which is mostly shaded.

The Hidden Pavilion was designed “as a secluded place for meditation,” and “to instill a sense of nature,” Design Boom shared.

Construction began on the Hidden Pavilion “some time ago,” head architect Dr. José Luis Esteban Penelas told New Atlas. It paused in 2010 and was completed in 2016.

Penelas appears to have achieved a delicate balance between the needs of human habitation and a desire to honor and appreciate the natural environment surrounding the home. Penelas Architects is based out of Madrid and Penelas teaches at the European University of Madrid. His other notable projects include Juan Carlos Park and the plaza for the Reina Sofia Modern Art Museum.

Couple Builds Greenhouse Around Home to Grow Food and Keep Warm https://t.co/HvnDcMVJEy @Earth911 @TerraCycle

— EcoWatch (@EcoWatch) December 2, 2015