Haras House by Cinco Sólidos

Set within the mountainous landscape of Rionegro, Colombia, Haras House by Cinco Sólidos is conceived as an inhabitable sculpture: an architectural object where mass, light, and materiality engage in constant dialogue. Completed in 2023, the 790 m² country house embraces the language of monumental and brutalist architecture, while simultaneously softening its presence through light, proportion, and carefully curated warmth.

A Monumental Concrete Dwelling Sculpted by Light and Landscape

From the outset, the ambition shared between Cinco Sólidos and Karlos Perez, founder of Studio KP2, was clear: the house itself should function as a sculptural entity. Rather than fragmenting the program into expressive gestures, the design adopts a deliberately restrained vocabulary. This clarity allows scale and material to take precedence, ensuring that the building’s large volumes feel intentional rather than overpowering.

Brutalism as Conceptual Foundation

The project is rooted in a shared admiration for brutalist architecture: not as an aesthetic trend, but as a philosophy of honesty, structure, and material presence. Haras House is defined by its solidity, clarity, and direct expression of construction.

While the geometry may initially appear simple, the house reveals its complexity through scale, proportion, and detail. The architects resisted unnecessary articulation, allowing concrete, steel, and aluminum to define the building’s identity. In doing so, the house achieves a quiet monumentality, firmly grounded in the landscape yet unmistakably contemporary.

Architecture Conceived From All Angles

Seen from above, Haras House reveals a carefully composed form: two overlapping rectangular volumes that establish a balanced and symmetrical composition. Unlike many residential projects, where the roof is treated as an afterthought, this design assigns the roof the same architectural importance as any façade.

Recognizing that architecture is increasingly perceived from aerial viewpoints, Cinco Sólidos deliberately addressed this often-overlooked dimension. The roofs are clad in natural river stones, a material choice that enhances visual continuity while reinforcing the building’s relationship with its natural surroundings. This decision ensures coherence across all perspectives, horizontal and vertical, strengthening the house’s sculptural integrity.

Exterior Solidity, Interior Lightness

From the exterior, the house presents itself as impenetrable and protective. Steel and aluminum articulate the façades, while concrete dominates the vertical planes. This robust envelope clearly delineates interior life from the surrounding landscape, prioritizing privacy and introspection.

Yet this sense of enclosure dissolves immediately upon entry. Crossing the threshold reveals an interior that feels unexpectedly ethereal and expansive. The heaviness associated with brutalism is softened through light, voids, and generous spatial connections. Here, concrete becomes a backdrop rather than an imposition, its solidity balanced by openness and visual permeability.

Material Contrast and Domestic Warmth

Living within exposed concrete walls, floors, and ceilings requires a particular commitment, one that both client and architects embraced fully. To temper the material’s inherent austerity, warmth is introduced through American oak veneer, used to clad the sculptural spiral staircase, adjacent columns, entrance doors, and concealed storage.

This wooden envelope frames key architectural elements while offering tactile relief. The contrast between raw concrete and refined wood establishes a spatial balance, monumental yet welcoming, rigorous yet humane.

The interior atmosphere is further enriched through carefully selected furnishings by Studio KP2 in collaboration with Cinco Sólidos. Large-format cotton rugs, linen curtains, and textured upholstery add softness and acoustic comfort, reinforcing the sense of domesticity within a powerful architectural shell.

The Double-Height Social Core

At the heart of Haras House lies a double-height living space that functions as the social and spatial nucleus of the home. This grand volume visually and physically connects the interior with the exterior landscape, dissolving boundaries between inside and outside.

From this central space, all major social functions unfold seamlessly:

• a ten-seat dining area
• an open kitchen
• an outdoor lounge
• and a pool terrace

Despite its scale, the space remains cohesive, unified by material continuity and controlled light.

A Structural Element as Architectural Identity

Dominating this social core is the house’s defining architectural gesture: a V-shaped concrete column that plunges into the swimming pool clad in black Bali stone. This structural element supports the upper wing of the house while simultaneously becoming its symbolic and spatial anchor.

Rather than concealing structure, Cinco Sólidos chose to celebrate it, transforming necessity into identity. The column is both load-bearing and expressive, an emblem of the project’s philosophy, where architecture and engineering converge into a single sculptural act.

Programmatic Depth and Hidden Spaces

Beyond the openness of the main living areas, the ground floor accommodates a series of more private and service-oriented spaces, discreetly integrated into the plan. These include:

• a gym connected to the exterior
• a guest bathroom
• a home theater
• a private bedroom
• an auxiliary kitchen with service rooms
• and the garage

These spaces are concealed within the mass of the house, maintaining the clarity of the primary volumes while supporting everyday life with functional precision.

Ascending Through Light and Structure

The sculptural spiral staircase acts as both circulation and experience. As one ascends to the second floor, the spatial character shifts subtly. Natural light becomes more controlled, filtering through structural rhythms rather than expansive openings.

The upper-level hallway separates the master bedroom from four secondary bedrooms, functioning as a calm transition space. From here, the repetition of vertical columns, visible along the main façade, becomes legible from within. These elements provide not only formal coherence but also environmental control, modulating light and reinforcing the architectural order.

Light as Atmosphere, Not Ornament

Light in Haras House is never decorative. It is carefully orchestrated to enhance spatial depth, reveal material texture, and define atmosphere. Throughout the day, light moves across concrete surfaces, softening their weight and revealing subtle tonal variations.

This controlled relationship between light and mass ensures that the house feels secure without being oppressive, open without being exposed. The interplay between illumination and shadow reinforces the project’s emotional dimension: calm, grounded, and introspective.

Strength, Shelter, and Inner Balance

For its inhabitant, Haras House represents more than architectural ambition. Its sturdiness conveys security, while its welcoming interior fosters comfort and belonging. The house’s impenetrable exterior and generous inner life mirror a psychological balance, strength outwardly expressed, warmth inwardly protected.

This duality lies at the heart of the project. Haras House is not a display of form for its own sake, but a deeply personal dwelling shaped by trust, material honesty, and architectural conviction.

A Sculptural Home in the Colombian Mountains

Ultimately, Haras House stands as a testament to architecture as sculpture, grounded in structure, material, and human experience. Cinco Sólidos have crafted a house that is bold yet restrained, monumental yet intimate: a contemporary brutalist dwelling where light, proportion, and warmth transform concrete into home.