Located on the hill above a small village at some 150km from Mexico City, the main feature of this retreat is its magnificent view. Its aim is to live with the landscape under a canopy with as few interior elements as possible.


A fireplace, a kitchen bar and a marble platform 20m long laid as a free floor plan for public areas and garage on top of a solid block which houses the rest of the program, namely services, three bedrooms and a family room.

The project involves a dormitory with 180 studios on the site of the Stade de Ladoumègue in Paris in 19th district. The plot of the building is part of urban development done by Reichen & Robert architects.

By early 2012, the Paris tram will pass by the site, and the goal is to complete the project before the opening in 2011. Another project goal is to achieve a building consumption with very little power, joining the desire of the city of Paris through its "climate plan". The major objectives of the project is to design a home to accommodate students able to offer them a healthy environment for study, learn, have fun, meet ... The building must be "energy efficient" and be built at the end of 2010. To achieve these objectives with energy performance and construction time table plan the focus was to design a simple, well insulated and ventilated object which will function at best during all season.

For the architect, all the conception process of the Valley House started with the Valley without the house, or either. It started with the confrontation of the architect with natural space. At the root of his concept was the will to respect the local topography, while covering and utilizing the 10.000m2 of available area. He wanted a volume proportionate to the land. Far from being a lost object in the vast surrounding site, the house was shaped as a long and compact element that is well embedded in the ground.

Photographs: Leonardo Finotti