House on the Beach

Situated on a private beach overlooking the Pacific Ocean, the design of this house unifies the contemporary and the vernacular. The city, famed for its picturesque coastline, is located in a tropical-climate zone with high temperatures, intense humidity and heavy rainy seasons.

The architecture of the house maintains the traditional palapa style, developed over hundreds of years to respond ideally to the local climate conditions, while appearing and performing differently through the integration of modern technology. A narrow passageway through a lush forest leads to the entrance of the house and opens onto a grand indoor/outdoor terrace with a fresh-water pool and spectacular views of the ocean. The classic tripartite structure of floor-wall-ceiling is dissolved into a single surface that encloses the space and wraps around it. The villa looks like a seashell resting on the sand, open towards the sea to the south, and closed towards the entrance to the north.

The ground level of the 9-bedroom house is occupied by communal areas, including an indoor living room and pool area. The top level houses bedrooms and additional bathrooms. The building is designed to allow cross ventilation of the light tropical breezes and is entirely constructed with local materials. A sweeping garden with a large variety of native tropical vegetation surrounds the beach villa, providing shade and privacy.