Open one of the doors to this woodland retreat, and you’ll trigger an optical illusion that seems to fragment the very landscape around you, as if portals to unknown destinations were being created all throughout the mysterious woods. The facade of this simple gabled house reflects and multiplies the trees among which it?s set, always keeping the focus on nature instead of the humans who have invaded it to build a nest of their own. “Los Terrenos,” designed by the Mexico City-based architect Tatiana Bilbao, occupies a small share of a larger family plot, and its main volume is entirely covered in mirrors.

This plot is notable in its own right. The client?s parents purchased it and subdivided it into 60 lots for their descendants to share, so long as they abided by one stipulation: they would have to hire professional architects to design the houses that would be built there. With structures by Tadao Ando, Ricardo Legorreta, and Alberto Kalach already completed on the land, it’s safe to say that they?ve exceeded the expectations of that legacy. Bilbao herself is so in demand with the family that “Los Terrenos” (The Terrains) is the second house she?s built for them.
The mirrored section of the house is actually just one of the construction’s three total volumes. It contains an open living, dining, and kitchen space, while an adjacent L-shaped building made of clay brick and rammed earth contains the bedrooms and bathrooms. A third ...