A holiday retreat by S-AR onthe Pacific coast of Mexico exposes visitors to an intimate contact with itssurroundingsThis project was highly commended in the 2024 AR House awards. Read about the full shortlist hereMore often than not, the transformation of a virgin beach into a holiday hotspot inspires the sentiment that nature has been imposed upon, and thus impaired by,human settlement. Rampant development aimed at attracting tourists is rarely known to yield admirable results. Yeton Mexicos Oaxacan coast, around 40minutes away from the burgeoning beach destination of Puerto Escondido, apeculiar enclave defies that narrative. Atthe end of a winding dirt road, the Pacific meets low, dense shrubland that engulfs five dwellings, each far enough apart tofeel entirely isolated. Austere yetbeautiful, and designed by various Mexican architecture firms, they were commissioned by the filmmaker Claudio Sodi to function as short-term rentals.One of the first practices that Sodi approached for the project was the Monterrey-based S-AR, led by Csar Guerrero and Ana Cecilia Garza. In 2019,the team completed Casa Cosmos, a100m2home of stark simplicity. Concrete columns and beams that stabilise the building intersect around its exterior, which features a rectangular pool and aseries of terraces that envelop a square nucleus. Inside, the bedroom and bathroom are separated by a wall from thekitchen, dining and living room area, allenclosed by sliding panels of locally sourced macuil (Tabebuia rosea) wood which allow a user to adjust the buildings contact with the landscape. When the panels are open, the division between interior and exterior collapses entirely, making the house so porous as to become less a house than just a roof overfurniture. When closed, the space issuddenly cavernous, with the dark, comforting warmth of a womb. Guerrero explains that creating this dichotomy abuilding that could feel both confined andinfinite was an intention born of his andGarzas initial visit to the site. Their experience, walking barefoot on the sand, seeing the plants, animals, and listening totheir sounds, hesaid, all informed thearchitecture.The approximately 45 hectares of scrubby forest that surround Casa Cosmos are largely owned by the Sodi family, as well as, in smaller measure, by architect Alberto Kalach and hotelier Moiss Micha. Together, they form an informal council that has shaped the regions development over the past decade. Beyond the other four homes in Claudio Sodis 10-hectare cluster one designed by Ambrosi Etchegaray, another by Carlos H Matos and two by Aranza de Ario, who also drew the masterplan the wider area now harbours a series of hospitality projects including resorts, rental properties, restaurants and, most notably, Casa Wabi, the Tadao Ando-designed artist residency and exhibition space. The latter, commissioned in 2014 by contemporary artist Bosco Sodi (Claudio Sodis brother), established the aesthetic and philosophy of the ensuing developments: dwellings that respected but did not seek to mimic the natural environment the sort of spaces appreciated by design enthusiasts whomight also consider the comforts ofall-inclusive resorts distasteful.But before the region became a lushandremote getaway, much of thelandscape was in a dismaying state, following decades of being farmed to the point ofalmost total degradation. In 2012, theenvironmental engineer Luis Urrutia, who is related to the Sodi family and a partial owner of the land, embarked on aneffort to rewild the ecosystem. He planted species endemic to the region, such as mesquites, acacias, thevetias and gliricidias, and then allowed nature to take its course. Slowly, insects, birds and small, innocuous reptiles such as frogs and snakes returned, and with them the resounding chorus that characterises athriving biosphere.By the time Guerrero and Garza arrived, it was teeming with life again. They spent their days walking by the ocean and among the greenery, an experience that they decided to make inextricable from the architecture of Casa Cosmos. We wanted to design something that was not simply placed among the landscape but that could connect to it in a powerful, overwhelming way, Guerrero says. Yet this did not necessarily mean embracing organic forms or materials. Though the wood of the panels, terrace flooring and furnishings has begun to acquire a tasteful patina, thebuilding is unabashedly artificial; orthogonal and monolithic, its clean lines and geometric precision contrast with the natural surroundings in a way that feels intentional, even provocative.Through their work with Tadao Ando, aschool of local construction workers had recently acquired expertise building with concrete. The fact that we could work with them was one driver of our decision to use concrete, Guerrero explains, butalso, Oaxaca is a seismic area so thematerial we chose had to be resistant to earthquakes. Ofcourse, the most respectful approach one can have towards nature is no development at all, followed by construction with biodegradable materials, which do not include concrete or steel. And yet, the low maintenance these require and the durability they offer make them well suited to withstand the extreme weather events of Mexicos southern Pacific coast, where the climate is perennially hot and humid, with heavy rainfall from May to October. (Though the properties on the site are often booked throughout the year, visits are most advisable during winter and spring.)There are no glass windows or air conditioning at Casa Cosmos, just three ceiling fans and vertical blinds on the wooden panels, which can be shut or opened toallow light and ventilation topass through.The bed is enveloped innetting, buteverywhere else, a visitor will find themself in intimate communion with theflora and fauna of the region. Thissituation is understood by both the architects and the developer as a luxury, granting users the opportunity to truly disconnect from their quotidian urban settings and apprehend nature not as a spectacle that can be entered into and exited at will, but as an inescapable reality. You can control the atmosphere somewhat through the blinds and panels, but this is really a house that exposes you to the elements, to everything that exists there, Guerrero insists, adding that the house is about giving yourself permission to have a different experience, to become acquainted with a different type of comfort. Reviews on the online rental platform where Casa Cosmos can bebooked confirm the success of this intention: You must be prepared to feel like you are sleeping in the wild, reads oneleft by Raul, from New York City, whowent on to list bugs, mosquitoes, lizards and bats as only a few of the species he and his partner saw during their stay, which he nonetheless rated withfive stars. Another review, from a Canadian man whospent five nights there with his wife, pointed out the difficulty of forgoing air conditioning during October, yet writing the pool was a great feature for the hot days.On the southern facade of the house, astaircase wrapped by a concrete cylinder spirals up to the roof, which is delimited by a sleek railing of black steel. Standing there affords a breathtaking view of mountains and a sliver of ocean on the horizon; of the short forest below and eachof the neighbouring structures that peek out from it, almost timidly. The teamatS-AR wanted to ensure that the connection a user felt to nature during their stay did not end on the ground level, but could also be felt from a heightened vantage point. At the centre of the roof, adark, circular basin is filled with water, reflecting the ever-changing firmament. After sundown, the sky transforms into avast canvas of stars and, in a wink at thehouses name, the basin acts as a mirror that blurs the line between Earth and cosmos. Surrounded by the quiet ofthenight and the coolness of the air, theexperience becomes transcendent, asiftheobserver is no longer simply standing on the roof, but suspended withinthe constellations. The architects have succeeded in their goal not just toelevate the body physically, but to lift thespirit.2024-12-12Reuben J BrownShare AR December 2024/January 2025Good rooms + AR HouseBuy Now