ludwig godefroy blends indoor and outdoor living spaces on the mexican coast

designed for a client who was looking to escape the bustle of mexico city, ludwig godefroy architecture has realized ‘zicatela house‘ as an idyllic getaway situated next to the small port town of puerto escondido in the state of oaxaca. conceived as a haven of relaxation and a place to enjoy the nearby beach, the recent intervention boasts a prominent position on top of a hill.  

all images courtesy of ludwig godefroy architecture

the site itself provides an interesting setting, as it is bookended by a ‘double landscape’, with the beach and sea on one side, and mountains and agave fields on the other. the design by ludwig godefroy responds to this setting by conceiving the building not as a beach house, but instead as a ‘countryside house next to the sea’.

the scheme responds to the duality of its surroundings. the architecture is protective yet open, while heavy concrete contrasts with light permeability. the building also seeks to blend interior spaces with the outdoors, blurring the line between environments to create one intertwined living space.

zicatela house is built on a small 300 m2 plot, using a typology of defensive architecture, where a wall surrounds the terrain completely, helping create a 100% controlled area on the inside, turning it into an open-sky fortress, with only one main view towards the sky. godefroy explains, ‘the house is a bunker on the outside, one of those massive concrete structures I used to see in normandy – where I was born -, protecting a mexican pyramid on the inside, one of those I used to see when I travelled around in mexico, the country where it’s been 10 years now I live and work.’

project info:

project name: zicatela house

location: puerto escondido, oaxaca, mexico

architect: ludwig godefroy architecture

designboom has received this project from our ‘DIY submissions‘ feature, where we welcome our readers to submit their own work for publication. see more project submissions from our readers here.

edited by: lynne myers | designboom