Un Bosque en la Casa: Architecture as Jazz Improvisation

Equipo de Arquitectura has designed a house in an undisclosed location that treats existing trees as fundamental guides for spatial organization, rather than obstacles. The project's perimeter is defined by the roof edge, within which solid volumes and voids configure the program in close relation to natural preexistences. Vertical structural elements are carefully placed between trees to avoid interfering with roots, visually receding into the background. The main floor plane is subtly elevated to allow tree roots to evolve freely, while the roof replicates the geometry to form a terrace with panoramic views of the canopy. The design draws a parallel between architectural composition and jazz improvisation, citing Bill Evans' description of jazz as a concrete process that requires years of practice to achieve intuitive performance. The house uses compressed earth blocks (BTC) for solid volumes, reinforcing a material dialogue with the landscape. The non-orthogonal column arrangement contributes to lateral stability and reflects natural patterns. The architects reference Ortega y Gasset's 'Meditations on Quixote' (1914) on the relationship between visible and invisible landscapes, and compare the changing light and shadows to John Abercrombie's 'Timeless' and the wind-swept leaves to Philly Joe Jones' brushes with the Miles Davis Quintet.