Ludwig Godefroy

House VO / House WO

House VO / House WO
© Rory Gardiner

House VO / House WO

Ludwig Godefroy Architecture

YEAR
2020

LOCATION
Mexico

CATEGORY
Houses, Detail

House VO / House WO
© Rory Gardiner

Casa VO / Casa WO is a series of 4 twin houses located on the Mexican Pacific coast in Punta Zicatela - Puerto Escondido, Oaxaca.

Puerto Escondido is a small tropical city with a warm climate throughout the year.

House VO / House WO
© Rory Gardiner
House VO / House WO
© Rory Gardiner
House VO / House WO
© Rory Gardiner

Winter does not exist, so protection against the cold is not necessary.

The houses only need to provide shelter from the sun and rain.

The concept of the houses integrates this tropical condition as a starting point for the design.

House VO / House WO
© Rory Gardiner
House VO / House WO
© Rory Gardiner
House VO / House WO
© Rory Gardiner

The idea behind Casa VO / WO is: (1) To reverse the classic house scheme with its garden to create a garden with its house; in order to fully enjoy the tropical life and climate of Puerto Escondido and live outdoors as much as possible.

The concept of the facade, such a fundamental element in architecture, is disappearing. Casa VO / WO is erasing our references to urban life in Mexico City, there are no longer windows or glass.

The garden is becoming part of the living area of the houses.

House VO / House WO
© Rory Gardiner
House VO / House WO
© Rory Gardiner
House VO / House WO
© Rory Gardiner

The project blurs the boundary between interior and exterior to become a unique habitable garden, where everything remains open all day and all night.

Casa VO / WO is a simple expression of a house as a cave that does not create enclosure, a house through which the wind always passes.

The project gets rid of the unnecessary to focus exclusively on the elemental elements, towards simplicity.

House VO / House WO
© Rory Gardiner
House VO / House WO
© Rory Gardiner
House VO / House WO
© Rory Gardiner

This search for simplicity is leading the design to a clean and abstract architecture, composed entirely of solid materials such as concrete, wood, and brick.

All these materials are capable of aging and improving their appearance over time, instead of deteriorating.

House VO / House WO
© Rory Gardiner
House VO / House WO
© Rory Gardiner

The concept of time becomes part of architecture.Time as if it were a material, following the purpose of taking a step back in this old and simple idea to let the "patina of time" be part of the project.


House VO / House WO
© Rory Gardiner
House VO / House WO


House VO / House WO
Section
House VO / House WO
Section


House VO / House WO
Ground floor plan
House VO / House WO
First floor plan
House VO / House WO
Roof plan
House VO / House WO
Facade