Fernanda Canales orients circular Mexican house as "solar clock"
Mexico City-based studio Fernanda Canales Architecture has tucked a circular house into a remote site, allowing for views in every direction of the landscape outside of Valle de Bravo, Mexico.
Completed in 2024, House 720 Degrees spreads 1,115 square metres (12,000 square feet) across 2 acres in an area outside of Valle de Bravo called La Reserva Peñitas.
It was recently shortlisted in the rural house category of Dezeen Awards 2025.
Designed for two families, the main house is shaped like a ring with a central courtyard and a detached secondary volume containing sleeping areas. The ring shape was conceived to resemble a sundial.
"House 720 Degrees is conceived as a geometric and optical device – a solar clock that measures time through light and shadow," studio founder Fernanda Canales told Dezeen.
"It doubles the usual 360-degree view, expanding perception and interaction between interior and exterior worlds."
Designed to adapt to the extreme temperature variations and heavy seasonal rain, the residence's low profile follows the site's topography while its materials allow it to merge with the landscape.
The circular house was constructed using a concrete mixed with soil, which allowed for a natural finish that blends into the terrain and was chosen for its durability, local origin and low maintenance.
The circular open-air patio at the heart of the project serves as the geometric and experiential core that connects the enclosed spaces both visually and spatially.
"During the day, it opens outward to frame views of the mountain and volcano," the studio said. "At night, it turns inward, fostering intimacy and warmth."
Rectangular living spaces are arranged along the perimeter of the patio, blending orthogonal geometry with radial leading lines and curved circulation corridors.
"The division into three volumes – main circular house, guest studio, and auxiliary building – responds to the natural terrain and the need for privacy among two families, sometimes three families and guests," Canales explained.
Local materials and techniques continue throughout the interiors with oak and stone that ground the project and handcrafted furniture and lamps that were created on site.
The home's organisation allows for natural cross-ventilation throughout with flexible openings for daylight and privacy.
The earthen materials create a thermal mass, while solar panels generate electricity and heating in a self-sufficient off-grid infrastructure.
"The project's circular geometry transcends the symbolic 360 degrees of vision to create a dwelling that feels both expansive and grounded," said the studio.
"It merges architecture, landscape and time into one continuous spatial experience, turning the house itself into a device for observing light, weather and life."
"Achieving a very intimate, domestic scale, despite the large built area and making the house disappear into the landscape, is truly unique."
A circular plan appears in many of Canales' designs, including a concrete community centre that caters to the adjacent prison in Iztapalapa and a perforated brick community centre with multiple oculi for the elderly residents of Neco.
The photography is by Rafael Gamo.
Project Credits:
Architect: Fernanda Canales
Team: Aarón Jassiel, Alberto García Valladares, Ángela Vizcarra
Interior decoration: Camilla Pallares
Structural engineer: Gerson Huerta – Grupo Sai
Sanitary and electrical installations: Carlos Medina – Grupo MEB
Carpentry: Óscar Nieto
Lighting: Lucas Salas
General contractor: Felipe Nieto
The post Fernanda Canales orients circular Mexican house as "solar clock" appeared first on Dezeen.
