In this week’s comments update, readers are discussing a circular house designed by Fernanda Canales in a remote area outside Valle de Bravo, Mexico.

Named House 720 Degrees, the circular house surrounds an open courtyard in the middle and was conceived to resemble a sundial.

Circular house in rural Mexico with courtyardFernanda Canales orients circular Mexican house as “solar clock”

“Rigorous to the point of sterility”

Readers were divided. “Really love the raw quality of the concrete,” observed JZ.

Miles Teg chimed in to say “leaving that inner courtyard completely barren pays off marvelously” and determined that “the final effect is nothing short of poetic”.

However, they did recognise that it was “not the easiest house to live in though”, before adding “I wouldn’t imagine the owners spending more than a couple of weeks here”.

Other commenters took a blunt view, with Chris writing “god that courtyard is bleak”.

This sentiment was echoed by Lemone, who felt the design was “rigorous to the point of sterility”.

Which camp are you in? Join the discussion ›

Zaha Hadid footbridge Hangzhou“Sinuous structural system” supports Hangzhou footbridge by Zaha Hadid Architects

“Love the fluidity of the gesture” 

Another project that got readers talking was a curved footbridge in Hangzhou by Zaha Hadid Architects that weaves around a trio of arches.

Ken Steffes had nothing but praise, declaring that “this structure is beautiful from every angle”.

“Ok, this is pretty freaking cool,” commented JZ. “Love the fluidity of the gesture and how it operates on a micro and macro experiential level,” they said.

In the same boat was Dik Coates, who thought “this is a beautiful cable-stayed structure – it’s lovely to behold”.

Meanwhile, Blæh felt “it’s stunning but seems like it was designed for somewhere else – it’s a crossroads-bridge, but here the perpendicular just leads to two dead ends”.

Have you had your say? Join the discussion ›

Bridge House rural India“Thatch-mud” scales cloak habitable bridge in India by Wallmakers

“Such a weird building – I love it”

One project which most readers could agree on was Bridge House – a home spanning a seven-metre-deep gorge in rural Karjat, India, completed by architecture studio Wallmakers.

American Tinker called it a “fascinating design” while Miles Teg wrote “such a weird building – I love it”. They argued that “it seems to solve a lot of challenging problems quite wonderfully”.

Meanwhile, commenter TheFlyinfgEpergne reflected that “I bet it is such a unique feeling, being in a space like that with that palette of materials”.

HonestlyWhocares took the opportunity to recognise the studio’s work, writing “these guys have such an incredible control of geometry and detail in every house they make”.

What do you make of Bridge House? Join the discussion ›

Comments update

Dezeen is the world’s most commented architecture and design magazine, receiving thousands of comments each month from readers. Keep up to date on the latest discussions on our comments page and subscribe to our weekly Debate newsletter, where we feature the best reader comments from stories in the last seven days.