Puerto Escondido

Subterms

    Latest story

    125 Shares99 Views

    Casa Yuma hotel built with “vegetal concrete” and pink bricks

    by

    Architecture studio TAAC and interior designer Sara Skalli have created a seaside hotel in Mexico that uses traditional materials including chukum – a finish made from tree resin and limestone.

    Named Casa Yuma, the 25-room boutique hotel is located on Playa Los Naranjos, a short drive from Puerto Escondido on the Pacific coast of Mexico.
    Casa Yuma sits between a palm grove and the beachSkalli, who co-owns the hotel with friends Camille Lambert and Tim de Belloy, felt it was important for the buildings to utilise materials native to the region.
    She and the project architect, TAAC founder Ricardo de la Concha, devised a materials palette that centres around the use of chukum.
    The hotel offers 25 guest suitesDescribed as a “vegetal concrete”, this water-resistant, plaster-like material is made by combining the resin of indigenous chukum trees with limestone-based stucco.

    The material often has a strong red tone –  as seen in other new Mexico buildings like as the Xique Boutique Hotel and Tulix housing – although the colour here is closer to a pale concrete-like grey.
    Furniture and textiles were sourced from local artisansSkalli said the use of chukum was intended to create “an ambience that is both organic and sustainable”.
    “My main goal was to create an environment where elegance harmoniously blends with the surrounding nature while reflecting the warmth and authenticity of this unique land,” she said.
    The entrance is via a thatched palapa hutThe materials palette also includes “salmon pink” adobe bricks from Puebla, which form decorative screen walls, and locally sourced macuil wood, used to build furniture and joinery.
    “The use of materials of Mexican origin was of vital importance,” added De la Concha.
    Building materials include pink adobe bricksCasa Yuma is situated between the seafront and a vast grove of palm trees. It is formed mainly of single-storey buildings, with zigzagging staircases providing access to rooftop patios.
    The reception is housed inside a palapa – a traditional Mexican hut with a palm leaf roof. From here, guests are led past the bedroom suites to arrive at facilities on the beachfront.
    A beach bar is among the seaside guest facilitiesThese facilities include an open-air restaurant, co-working lounge, beach bar, swimming pool, sunken firepit area and a spa cabin.
    “The layout of the elements is based on a linear axis with a direct path from the entrance to the beach, passing through the rooms to reach a pool facing the sea,” said De la Concha.

    Ludwig Godefroy’s Casa TO hotel presents a “reinterpretation of a Oaxacan temple”

    He said the concept was for “a barefoot hotel” where guests always have the feeling of being on the beach.
    “We want to create a unique atmosphere so that guests feel comfortable in every corner of the hotel and feel like they have found a second home,” added co-owner Tim de Belloy.
    The hotel offers co-working and wellness facilitiesThe interior design follows a similar ethos to the architecture, with craft objects and textiles sourced from local makers. These include handmade wall tiles, minimal nightstands, woven rugs and striped bedspreads.
    “Most of the decorative elements come from incredibly talented local artisans and underscore our commitment to preserving regional culture,” said Skalli.
    “The aim is to offer unique spaces, where each room retains its individuality while inspiring a familiar experience.”
    A sunken firepit lounge sits alongside the swimming poolOther recent Mexican hotels on Dezeen include a hotel by Productora and Esrawe Studio on a hilly site in San Miguel de Allende and a boutique hotel coated in pink chukum and set in an artificial wetland in Puerto Escondido.
    The photography is courtesy of Casa Yuma.

    Read more: More

    More stories

    • 138 Shares169 Views

      in Rooms

      Works by Fernando Laposse and others showcased in beachside Mexican pavilion

      by

      Works by Mexican designers Fernando Laposse and Claudina Flores were among those shown in a remote seaside house near Puerto Escondido, Mexico, during Mexico Design Fair.

      Dozens of works were placed throughout the house, called Casa Naila, which was designed by Mexican architect Alfonso Quiñones – who used techniques gleaned from his work with Japanese architect Tadao Ando on the nearby Casa Wabi arts centre.
      Mexico Design Fair took place in a seaside home made up of pavilions. Photo by Jaime NavarroCasa Naila’s concrete foundations, wooden structure and thatched walls and ceilings were at risk because of the erosion, so their was turned into a pavilion and used for years as a location for the invite-only fair.
      According to the fair, the purpose of the exhibition was to execute a “long-term vision that foresees better conditions for the design disciplines in the country through critical dialogue, production and quality exhibition contents”.
      Furniture was displayed throughout the house’s multiple structuresArranged throughout the different pavilions of Casa Naila were furniture and decor objects.

      As visitors entered the structure there was an arrangement of colourful stools by Oaxaca City-based designer Jaime Levin, with sculptural legs, woven nylon tops and multiple seats on some of the stools.
      Directly across, in the kitchen area, was an arrangement of glassware by Mexican company Xauixe – noted for its use of recycled glass in its products and recycled cooking oil used to heat its ovens.
      Glassware from Xauixe was featuredThe other furniture installations filled the ground and second levels of the other two pavilions.
      These included works by Mexico City and London-based designer Laposse, who uses materials like agave fibres to create material with applications for rural communities. His works included the small, white and “hairy” Pup bench and wall panels with marquetry made from corn husks.
      Laposse was named Designer of the Year award from the fair.

      The programming included a pyrotechnic installationArranged in tandem with Laposse’s pieces were intricately constructed cabinets by Guadalajara-based designer Claudina Flores, who recently featured in our round-up of design studios in Guadalajara.
      The show also included a colourful set of outdoor metal furniture by César Ponce and Carlos Torre Hütt, wooden chairs draped with plush leather cushions by Brooklyn studio Prime Project, as well as floor rugs by Indian firm Odabashian with designs by American designer Little Wing Lee and Argentinian Pilar Zeta.

      Ten noteworthy exhibitions from Design Week Mexico 2023

      On the beach was a spindly structure by artist and producer David Sánchez, which became a pyrotechnic installation at the end of the one-day showcase.
      Many of the guests and designers were housed in Hotel Escondido, an hour’s drive north from the fair’s location.
      Mexican designer Fernando Laposse showed his material experimentations and was awarded the Designer of the Year honour. Photo by Jaime NavarroSelect programming took place in the architecturally significant homes around Hotel Escondido – including the temple-like Casa Monte by Carlos Matos.
      At Casa Malandra, a beachside home designed by Taller Alberto Calleja, visitors were treated to traditional tamales made in a massive basalt oven designed by artist Julio Martinez Barnetche.
      A massive basalt oven was shown as part of the satellite programmingWhile the fair showcased a wide array of designers, some of the participants commented on the remoteness of the venues, and the invite-only status of the guests meant that the participants were limited but that the visitors did become tight-knit as the programming went on.
      Other small-format design fairs in Latin America included a showcase in a monument in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic organised by Galerie Philia last year.
      Photography by Gerardo Maldonado unless otherwise stated. 
      Mexico Design Fair took place from 24 to 26 May in Puerto Escondido. For more fairs, exhibitions and talks in architecture and design visit the Dezeen Events Guide.

      Read more: More