Concrete Jungle: 10 Rural Retreats That Embrace the Wild

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Whether creating a building as an expressive icon or a simple, minimalist structure, architects must choose how they respond to context on every project. So what happens when a building is to be sited within dense jungles or remote landscapes?

The following collection explores the power of contrast through minimalist concrete projects in the Architizer database. Located throughout highly vegetated sites and rural areas with minimal development, the designs showcase the tension between rigid, simple structures and their organic surroundings. Embracing their context, they stand as powerful statements and contradictions within the landscape. Together, they begin to show how minimal formal or spatial moves can begin to subvert, orient, or intensify our understanding of nature and place.

The House Cast in Liquid Stone by SPASM Design Architects, Khopoli, India

Created on a rocky outcrop in Maharashtra, this project was designed around basalt rock to recall the local site and region. The house’s concrete was mixed with basalt, water, and cement, while the building was conceived as a refuge from the surrounding climatic conditions.

House on a Stream by Architecture BRIO, Mumbai, India

House on a Stream was designed as a retreat in Alibag. Carefully placed upon the landscape, the design opens up to its surroundings while resting atop a stream. The project was made as two parts separated by a bridge. The two areas reach out into the landscape to capture views and embrace the site’s natural elements.

The Pierre by Olson Kundig Architects, San Juan Island, Wash., United States

The Pierre house was made as a retreat securely positioned within the landscape. Nestled into a rock, the house seemingly disappears into its context depending on which angle it’s viewed from. The simple design uses the rock itself as an aggregate to form the house’s walls.

Monção Houses by JPLoureiro, Arquitecto, Lda, Monção, Portugal

Created for a father and son, these two houses are located on the bank of the River Minho. The design used a large, pre-stressed concrete flagstone to join together the two structures, while the gesture itself helped frame views and organize circulation.

Pabellon-Puente by alarcia-ferrer arquitectos, Calamuchita Department, CB, Argentina

Pabellon-Puente was designed as a multipurpose space on the banks of Lake Los Molinos. Serving a housing development, the project embraces the nearby eucalyptus forest and the site’s flow channel. Walls were made in pigmented concrete that was textured and colored to respond to the surroundings.

Cb71 by la proyecteria, México City, Mexico

Designed as an apartment building in Polanco, Cb71 was formed as two blocks around a central courtyard. Each apartment unit was contained in a box of exposed concrete that explores opacity and transparency.

Outpost by Olson Kundig Architects, Idaho, United States

Olson Kundig’s Outpost project was sited in the high desert of Idaho. Located in this remote landscape, the house combined a studio and workshop space through a “paradise garden” scheme. The house is separated from the wild landscape by walls and materials that require minimal maintenance.

Casa HLM by Bá – Boa Arquitetura, Santa Maria, Brazil

With a shape that responds to the curve of the site’s plot, Casa HLM was designed with a program oriented to its surroundings. Living quarters face the valley and sunrise, while a continuous veranda joins interior and exterior space.

House in S.Abbondio by wespi de meuron romeo architects, Locarno, Switzerland

House in S.Abbondio was made for a couple and their guests. With views to Lake Maggiore and the mountains, the project uses a simple volume that’s clearly cut to embrace the water, forests, and sunlight. The stacked program is surrounded by natural wood and concrete.

Casa Narigua by P+0 Architecture, NL, Mexico

Designed as a house to enjoy 360-degree views, the Casa Narigua was made in a mountain-enclosed site. The project was made in the densely vegetated landscape of northern Mexico, a space that rises above the cedar forest below.

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