American poet Henry David Thoreau lived for two years in a cabin he built on Walden Pond, Massachusetts. His time in the small dwelling allowed him to value respect and the necessities of life, an attitude that even leads you to observe how “the toad is different when it enters and when it leaves the pond.” Mexican studio Espacio 18 Arquitectura begin from this narrative the design of Casa del Sapo, literally house of the toad, a detached villa on the coast of Playa Zapotengo, Mexico.
Two concrete blocks on the Ocean to admire sunrise and sunset
Espacio 18 Arquitectura design on the Mexican coast a detached villa, composed of two rotated concrete volumes with a direct view to the sea.
Photo Onnis Luque and Fabian Martinez
Photo Onnis Luque and Fabian Martinez
Photo Onnis Luque and Fabian Martinez
Photo Onnis Luque and Fabian Martinez
Photo Onnis Luque and Fabian Martinez
Photo Onnis Luque and Fabian Martinez
Photo Onnis Luque and Fabian Martinez
Photo Onnis Luque and Fabian Martinez
Photo Onnis Luque and Fabian Martinez
Photo Onnis Luque and Fabian Martinez
Photo Onnis Luque and Fabian Martinez
Photo Onnis Luque and Fabian Martinez
Photo Onnis Luque and Fabian Martinez
Photo Onnis Luque and Fabian Martinez
Photo Onnis Luque and Fabian Martinez
Photo Onnis Luque and Fabian Martinez
Photo Onnis Luque and Fabian Martinez
Photo Onnis Luque and Fabian Martinez
Photo Onnis Luque and Fabian Martinez
Photo Onnis Luque and Fabian Martinez
Photo Onnis Luque and Fabian Martinez
Photo Onnis Luque and Fabian Martinez
Photo Onnis Luque and Fabian Martinez
Photo Onnis Luque and Fabian Martinez
Photo Onnis Luque and Fabian Martinez
Photo Onnis Luque and Fabian Martinez
Photo Onnis Luque and Fabian Martinez
Photo Onnis Luque and Fabian Martinez
Photo Onnis Luque and Fabian Martinez
Photo Onnis Luque and Fabian Martinez
Drawing Espacio 18 Arquitectura
Drawing Espacio 18 Arquitectura
Drawing Espacio 18 Arquitectura
Drawing Espacio 18 Arquitectura
Drawing Espacio 18 Arquitectura
Drawing Espacio 18 Arquitectura
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- Romina Totaro
- 15 June 2022
- Zapotengo, Oaxaca, Mexico
- Espacio 18 Arquitectura
- 130 sqm
- private residence
- 2021
Then, the house is designed as an unpretentious structure, responding to the necessities of life and avoiding ornamentation, delegating special attention instead to the “posture” of the architectural object in its context. Therefore, the architecture is sculpted as “two stones looking at the sea”, where - thanks to the composition of two symmetrical rotated spaces in the plan - , the first one looks for the sunrise and the other for the sunset. The two concrete volumes, separated and both equipped with the minimum service spaces, interface and dialogue through a material characterization of the complementary cover. Here a subdued palette of greys and terracotta bricks is combined with light wood tones, covering the interior details.
Moreover, the rotation of the two spaces forms a triangular courtyard that includes a long rectangular pool with an unobstructed view that opens to the sea. Its flooring is covered in herringbone terracotta bricks, while a roof of branches protects the patio.
- Casa del sapo
- Espacio 18 Arquitectura
- Carla Osorio Jimenez, Mario Alberto Ávila López, Sonia Morales, Andrea Rodriguez, Arantza Toledo
- Espacio 18 Arquitectura, Mario Fernandez, Paulina Chagoya
- Mario Fernandez e Paulina Chagoya
- Victor Chagoya, Mario Fernandez, Paulina Chagoya, Freddy, Mariela, Candido, Jorge, Cruz Hernández, Jesús Hernández, Coco, Espacio 18 Arquitectura.
- Mario Fernandez, Paulina Chagoya, Espacio 18 Arquitectura
- José Luis Contreras Pisson
- Interceramic, Cemex, Tecnolite
- Zapotengo, Oaxaca, Mexico
- 130 sqm
- 2021
Site plan
Concept plan
Ground floor plan and roof plan
Cross section and facades
Facades
Axonometry