Maria and Matilda emerge on the edge of the Pacific Ocean of Oaxaca, stranded between sand and vegetation. They are located 30 minutes from Puerto Escondido and a few steps from the beach.
The materiality of the houses responds to the site; seeking to present themselves in a subtle and respectful way with the context, as well as to provide structural safety in a seismic place like Oaxaca. The contrast between the hardness of the concrete and the softness of the wood echoes the site that houses them; the concrete becomes the structure and materialization of the volume on site, and the wood becomes the delimiter of the interior space.
The spaces in the houses are undefined throughout the day. Through the movement of the handmade wooden sliding walls, the control of the confined space is almost entirely in the hands of the inhabitant. Both units are divided in two, like a yin and yang figure; half of the house is a gallery in permanent relationship with sounds, light and plants and the other half is interior with the possibility of opening to the outside path.
With no defined exterior walls, Maria and Matilda connect directly to the site, allowing for a constant flow of natural lighting and ventilation, keeping the houses cool and breezy in the warm climate of Puerto Escondido. The intention was to build a quiet and respectful place that would inextricably link landscape and architecture, nature and humans.
By: Gaeta Springall Architects