A beachfront only twelve metres wide should feel cramped. Casa Nova, a mexico beachfront house in Mazunte, Oaxaca, turns that limit into its organising idea.
The Mexican studio Taller Alberto Calleja, known as TAC, designed the home on a 1,732 square-metre lot. ArchDaily lists the project’s area as 1,730 square metres. The plot’s sea edge is the narrowest part of the site, and the architects built the layout around it.
Rather than fill the plot, the architects carved a long, narrow gap through its centre. That gap is a fissure of trees and water. It frames views of the sea from inside the house.
For another Mexican house where architecture and landscape merge, Casa Gruta’s Barrel-Vaulted Fusion of Nature and Architecture shows how a Yucatán home can be shaped around its surroundings.
Two volumes around a reflecting pool
The fissure divides the house into two long, trapezoidal volumes. The studio calls the void “the protagonist of the project.” It is not a leftover space.
A reflecting pool sits inside the void. Elevated timber bridges cross the water and join the two volumes. The pool serves as a place to gather and pass between the two halves of the house.
The eastern volume of this holiday home holds the living room, dining area and kitchen. The bedrooms sit in the western volume. Each half faces the central trees, so the two zones stay separate but connected.
Screens that open the house to the trees
The outer walls of both volumes are largely blank. The inward-facing walls open almost completely. Sliding and folding timber screens control that opening, leading onto steps, terraces and walkways that link the site.
Each screen alternates solid panels with angled louvres. Light and air pass through the house even when the screens are closed, according to the studio.
The studio describes the design as a shifting sequence. “The angles, changes in direction, fragmentation and relationship between solid and void create a dynamic architecture whose perception transforms as one moves through it,” the studio told Dezeen. The architects chose exposed concrete and timber for their durability and for how well they sit among trees.
Roof terraces, a pool and rear annexes
Prow-shaped terraces run along the roofs of both volumes and reach south toward the sea. They overlook a central swimming pool, which is designed to blend with the horizon.
According to d5mag, the upper floors step back from the ground level. That setback softens the concrete outline and lets sunlight reach the central courtyard. It also allows sea breezes to move through the open spaces.
Two cubic volumes sit at the back of the plot. Each contains bedrooms, a social space, a green courtyard and a pool. Each unit can be used on its own or connected to the main house. d5mag reports that the rear volumes are angled slightly, creating small pocket gardens that give each block privacy from the others.
Apel Interiors handled the interior design for the house. ArchDaily credits Onnis Luque with the photography of the completed house.
Pairing exposed concrete with timber is a theme worth comparing, and Casa Tossal’s Concrete and Timber Blend in Valencia shows how the two materials settle into a Mediterranean setting.
TAC’s recent work includes Casa Mavra in Valle de Bravo. That house sets two angular volumes finished in black concrete against a forested site. Casa Nova takes a different path. It treats the narrow frontage of this beachfront house as the spine of the plan, and the trees run through the middle of the house.
Source: dezeen.com
Frequently asked questions
Which studio designed Casa Nova in Mazunte, Oaxaca?
Casa Nova was designed by the Mexican studio Taller Alberto Calleja, known as TAC. The house sits on a beachfront lot in Mazunte, Oaxaca.
How are the two volumes of Casa Nova connected?
The two long volumes of Casa Nova are separated by a central fissure of trees and water, which holds a reflecting pool. Elevated timber bridges cross the pool and join the two halves of the house.
What materials were used to build Casa Nova?
The architects used exposed concrete and timber for Casa Nova. They chose these materials for their durability and for how well they sit among trees.
Which rooms are located in each volume of Casa Nova?
The eastern volume of Casa Nova holds the living room, dining area and kitchen. The bedrooms are located in the western volume.
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