Casa Ohana | Vertebral

Immersed inside the low jungle of Puerto Escondido, between Nim trees, Casa OHANA finds its footprint to settle.

A sinuous path unfolds through dense, tall vegetation, interrupted by a monolithic planting of Mesquite and Plumbago, revealing for the first time a large structure with a floating roof and shade. The fierce crashing of waves against the sand, tearing it apart, makes the house vibrate and splattered with tar. The house gives the illusion of a ship navigating high winds and seas.

The social area of the house is a large elevated platform in the form of staggered slabs that captures views and breeze from all points. Above the platform, a light overhang expands and flies to shield from summer rain and winter sun. The overlapping of the sloping platform and flat slab creates a tunnel that accelerates the wind and allows it to increase freshness in light of the high temperatures of the coast.

Unlike the social area, which consists of a continuous space entirely exposed to the natural surroundings, the more hermetic private areas are envisioned as almost closed volumes with the exception of two openings: the ocean view and the backyard garden, more intimate spaces.

The luxury of the house lies in the simplicity of harmony with the natural environment. Cross ventilation, ocean views, and the appropriation of small gardens in each room create a parenthesis of calm and privacy. The house serves as a catalyst for coexistence with the jungle, the beach, and the sea.

Casa Ohana is a private beach house project that seeked for an integration with its natural surroundings: the jungle, the beach and the sea. The brief was to provide an open shelter that could range from openness to intimacy. The open site allowed for 360° possibilities, but the views, orientation and wind direction were prioritized to determine the settling of the house. It consists of eight independent volumes, divided in private and public areas, strategically distributed throughout the property. The 810 sqm of the house includes 70 sqm of open terraces. The private areas, with nine bedrooms, are 400 sqm.

The residence adopts the earthy tones of the site and embraces the local vegetation. The structure criteria of reinforced bare concrete frames is in line with this materiality intention. The selection of natural neutral materials, tropical local wood and bare concrete, aims to be the background for the landscape and vegetation in between the buildings, the beach front and the sea.

Construction: Efrain Salinas

Landscaping: Maria Kalach

Photography: Cesar Belio