Casa Eva, crafted by the S-AR studio, transforms a concrete grid into a living framework on Mexico’s Pacific coast. At first glance, it resembles a strategic game board where stairs, plunge pools, and sunshades align with precision. This three-story multifamily residence in Puerto Escondido, Oaxaca, adapts ingeniously to its sloping coastal site. The structure itself is less about walls and more about a flexible interaction between interior and exterior spaces.
A Dance with Nature
Each of the building’s three apartments engages uniquely with the surrounding landscape. The lower and upper units offer distinct relationships with the natural environment—one nestling into the tree canopy, the other presenting sweeping views of mountains and the ocean. This thoughtful design approach echoes the strategies seen in projects like Casa en Avándaro, though here the terrain itself orchestrates the interaction with nature.
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Structural Harmony and Minimal Enclosure
The building’s dimensions are defined by a reticular concrete system of cast-in-place columns, beams, and slabs, forming a 12×15 meter perimeter grid. Enclosure is minimal, utilizing railings and wooden lattice boxes for bedrooms, allowing the grid to delineate the space rather than conventional walls. This concept evokes comparisons to Casa Tláloc, where exposed concrete dictates architectural expression despite differing climatic conditions.
The consistent column spacing at 3-meter intervals and varying ceiling heights, dictated by the natural slope, reinforce the module that guides the entire edifice. At 180 square meters per apartment, with two bedrooms, service areas, and spacious social zones, the layout includes plunge pools—an essential response to the coastal warmth, designed for unrestricted movement of space, air, and light.
Interconnected Volumes
Detached volumes slide within the reticular frame, linking floors rather than segregating them. These interior blocks, resembling furniture yet supporting the structure, enhance a sense of seamless continuity. This adaptive layout accommodates daily life uniquely within the grid.
Function and form converge as stairs, pools, kitchens, and more occupy the grid like pieces on a board, reimagining standard beam-and-column construction. This opens paths for circulation that defy conventional hallway designs, creating fluid movement through the space.
Embracing Tradition with a Touch of Innovation
A large palapa roof crowns the building, connecting it to Oaxaca’s cultural building traditions. This element, distinct from the structural materials of concrete, steel, and wood, offers shelter rooted in traditional climate and craft knowledge, transcending the modern grid below.
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A noteworthy design element is the wooden lattice boxes that provide bedroom privacy. Beyond privacy, they filter coastal light into a multifaceted texture that a solid wall could never replicate. These details linger, marking Casa Eva not only as architecture but as a dialogue with its environment.
Source: urdesignmag.com
Frequently asked questions
How does Casa Eva integrate with its environment?
Casa Eva’s apartments uniquely engage with the surrounding landscape, with lower units nestling into the tree canopy and upper units offering mountain and ocean views. The design echoes strategies seen in other projects, where terrain and nature orchestrate interaction with the environment.
What structural system defines Casa Eva?
Casa Eva is defined by a reticular concrete system of cast-in-place columns, beams, and slabs forming a grid. The dimensions are defined by a 12×15 meter perimeter grid with consistent column spacing and varying ceiling heights dictated by the slope.
What materials are used in Casa Eva?
Casa Eva uses a combination of concrete, steel, wood, and a large palapa roof for cultural connection. The concrete system forms the grid while the palapa roof connects to Oaxaca’s cultural building traditions.