Hidden in a remote valley about three hours from Mexico City, House 720 Degrees unfolds as a geometric meditation on perception, environment, and sustenance. Designed by Fernanda Canales, the residence is conceived as a solar clock: at daybreak, a circular perimeter frames mountain silhouettes and the distant volcano, while by night the composition tightens, drawing the interior around a central courtyard that becomes the heart of the home.
Fernanda Canales (b. 1974, Mexico City) studied architecture at Ibero-American University and earned a Master’s in Theory and Criticism from the Barcelona School of Architecture (ETSAB-UPC), followed by a PhD from the Madrid School of Architecture (ETSAM-UPM). Her work has been shown at the Royal Academy of Arts in London, Ifa Galerie in Stuttgart, and the Venice Architecture Biennale. She has received multiple international awards and has taught at Yale, Princeton, Harvard, and the Polytechnic University of Milan.
The project comprises three distinct volumes that adapt to the site’s slope and preserve the surrounding vegetation. A central circular volume houses the core living spaces, a separate studio and guest suite sits apart, and a rectangular unit forms a surrounding patio with additional bedrooms and essential services. This arrangement allows two families and their guests to inhabit the same landscape without compromising the integrity of the terrain.
The house is arranged over a ground floor with an accessible rooftop terrace, enabling extended outdoor living while maintaining a compact footprint. Inside, rectangular rooms—bedrooms, bathrooms, closets, and the kitchen—are organized within the circular plan, while curved walls guide circulation and extend outward as terraces and gardens. Foldable windows and privacy screens enable the interiors to reconfigure in response to weather and daily rhythms, blurring the line between inside and outside.
Set modestly into the land, the home uses a blend of local soil and concrete to achieve an earthy, site-conscious finish. The walls act as mediating membranes between forest and prairie, wet and dry seasons, and the shifting spatial experiences from center to edge. Craftsmanship is grounded in regional materials and traditional techniques, with lighting fixtures and furniture produced on site to minimize transport and celebrate local resourcefulness.
House 720 Degrees embraces off-grid strategies that align with Mexico’s climate and landscape. The residence incorporates natural cross-ventilation and openings oriented in multiple directions to maximize climate-responsive airflow. Rainwater harvesting and solar power generation sustain daily needs, while hydronic radiant floors provide comfortable warmth in the bedrooms. The design emphasizes durability with weather-resistant materials, reducing maintenance and the need for painting or cladding. By harmonizing with the color and texture of the land, the house breathes with its surroundings and responds subtly to seasonal changes.
Photo credits: Rafael Gamo and Camilla Cossio
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