CASA ERETREA
Sequestered amidst mesquite trees, an isolated writer’s retreat clad in mirrored panels disappears into the rugged slopes of the extinct volcano Palo Huérfano, 20 minutes from the UNESCO World Heritage Site of San Miguel de Allende, Mexico.
Conceived as an off-grid hideaway by Mexico-based Singaporean writer and designer Prashant Ashoka, Casa Etérea is a 75 sq/m dwelling with impressive sustainability credentials: it’s powered by solar energy; the water supply is collected rainwater; and it uses a patterned ultraviolet coating on the mirror, making it visible to birds while remaining reflective to the human eye. “The vision was to create a theatre to nature,” Ashoka explains. “Sustainability was crucial in achieving complete integration with the environment. Shelters in remote places afford us a rare stillness and the opportunity to bridge the distance between us and the natural world.”
Casa Etérea sits amidst the peaks of the Los Picachos mountain range. The lack of vehicle access and sparse population in the mountains have preserved an exceptional biodiversity including hawks, rattlesnakes, white-tailed deer and mountain lions.
Working from an intention to leave the landscape untouched, the foundation of the A mirrored cabin merges with the Los Picachos mountain range
house was built entirely from rock collected off the mountain. The open-plan layout consists of two rectilinear volumes that merge at a 120-degree V-shaped intersection – drawing an angular likeness to a staggering ravine visible from the glass shower.
From the central living space and bedroom, floor-to-ceiling sliding glass doors frame vistas of towering cliffs, and open out onto a pool deck shaded by olive and pomegranate trees. Inside, exposed ceiling beams and concrete walls give a laid-back feel and are complemented by furnishings in jute, leather, wood, stone and copper (used for the show-stopping bathtub beside the bed).
Heavily inspired by the concept of ‘emotional architecture’ – coined by Mexican architect Luis Barragán and artist Mathias Goéritz – the house gleams like a phosphorescent blue-tinged box at first light. And in the ombre hues of sunset the structure sits in the landscape like a mirage, before disappearing entirely. Alluding to this quality of the building, the name ‘Etérea’ translates from Spanish to ‘ethereal’, and suggests a nebulous, otherworldly vision.
“Light becomes a structural element of this design, distorting the perspective of where the observer begins and the landscape ends,” says Ashoka. “I wanted this interplay of light and scale to evoke a deep sense of awe for the wild, and to beg questions about our role as stewards of our ecosystems.”
Casa Etérea can be booked for upto two guests through Instagram @casa_eterea