Magnolia House is a modern concrete house located in Arrayanas, Ecuador, designed in 2021 by Estudio Felipe Escudero.

Description
Magnolia House, a private residential home, is designed to represent the calmness and serenity of nature. Created for the architect?s mother who has a deep affinity for Magnolia Trees, the home is built around a courtyard that frames a Magnolia tree at the center. The home?s design features one thin post-tensioned concrete slab with large spans and overhangs, allowing a traditionally rigid and heavy material to look like it is floating in space. Concrete ceilings delicately turn into walls providing the feeling of being hugged and protected and allowing for the house to feel transparent, while also providing privacy. In addition to the simple, functional logic of the house, the design responds to the significance of its location – at the top of a mountain valley, elegantly sitting on the ground like a spaceship that just landed, and it acts as a surprise element in the landscape. Floor-to-ceiling operable glass facades and a continuously covered balcony that surrounds the building eliminate barriers between interior and exterior, bringing natural light and air into all the spaces, resulting in 360-degree views of the scenery. The home is made with materials such as cast-in-place concrete with steel and glass to make spaces feel modern and cozy. Indirect, lighting throughout the house is placed at the top and bo...