Todos Santos

View of the two houses from the pacific ocean.

Project details

• Project Name: Todos Santos
• Location of Site: Todos Santos Baja California Sur. Mexico
• Design Team: Jorge Gracia, Enrique Silva, Ruben Dario, Denise de la Madrid. Joaquin Rodriguez, Javier Gracia, Jonathan Castellon
• Project Type: Beach / Desert House
• Client: Arnaud and Jennifer Gregori
• Contractor/s: Grupo Aro
• Site Area: 50,000 s.f.
• Built-up Area: 2,460 s.f. per house
• Date of completion: 2007

The terrace opens to the pool and to the horizon.

Words from the architect

The client required a house that is open to nature and at the same time is secure because it will be used only for vacationing and will be unused during 8 months of the year. The maintenance needed to be minimum and the materials needed to withstand hurricane seasons.

'Palo de arco', typical material utilized in the baja peninsula to create fences.

Basically the house is one open floor plan for the common areas and the bedrooms are more enclosed to have privacy.

The hearth of the house becomes the exterior area because of the beautiful weather of Todos Santos.

The main structure of the house is composed of concrete matching the natural color of the local dirt, this way we blend with the local nature. We utilized to main walls that are east and west facades. We covered them with "talavera" to try to bring a traditional interpretation of Mexican architecture and looking at it in a more contemporary way.

Paola and Max enjoying family time together.

The floor plan is very easy and flexible because of the linear structure of the house, basically we centralized the common areas that includes kitchen, dinning, and living and opened them to the main terrace and the pool. And on one side we added the master bedroom with a bathroom. And to the north we added two more bedrooms with a shared bathroom. The simplicity of the floor plan matches the simplicity of the design of the exterior, this way we tried to make a sanctuary to rest and to enjoy nature.

Machine room located in a separate structure to avoid noise in a peaceful beach house.

The front façade is composed of a wall of 'talavera' typical Mexican tiles used in the 'colony' brought by the Spanish to America.

The concrete color is to match the nature of the sandy landscape of Baja.

Paola and Valentina enjoying the terrace.

The gate and glass doors becomes a play of shadow and light for the interior of the house and to control wind and temperature naturally.

View of the 'palo de arco' and the pool.

View from the inside of the house.

The play of light and control of wind becomes a very important feature in the house.

View from the kitchen. The view of the ocean is never blocked by the house below.

Sunset view of the pool.

The 'talavera' takes life when it receives a ray of light and is constantly changing.

The play of the interior space with the rusty steel gates.

The security gate lets the air in while keeping the house secure during the sleep hours, this way it eliminates the need for mechanical ventilation.

The connection of the interior exterior space is a fundamental key to a project of this nature.

The 8' celings at all the house allow us to have a very clean openness of the kitchen-dining-living area.

View of the house with the windows closed.

The intention to blend with the beautiful desert of Baja.

In this view we show the no-interference from one house to another.

Blending nature.

Credits

• Text: Jorge Gracia
• Photographs: Sandra Munoz