designed for a client who was looking to escape the bustle of mexico city, ludwig godefroy architecture has realized ?zicatela house? as an idyllic getaway situated next to the small port town of puerto escondido in the state of oaxaca. conceived as a haven of relaxation and a place to enjoy the nearby beach, the recent intervention boasts a prominent position on top of a hill.

all images courtesy of ludwig godefroy architecture
 
 
the site itself provides an interesting setting, as it is bookended by a ?double landscape?, with the beach and sea on one side, and mountains and agave fields on the other. the design by ludwig godefroy responds to this setting by conceiving the building not as a beach house, but instead as a ?countryside house next to the sea?.
 
 
the scheme responds to the duality of its surroundings. the architecture is protective yet open, while heavy concrete contrasts with light permeability. the building also seeks to blend interior spaces with the outdoors, blurring to line between environments to create one intertwined living space.

 
 
zicatela house is built on a small 300 m2 plot, using a typology of defensive architecture, where a wall surrounds the terrain completely, helping create a 100% controlled area on the inside, turning it into an open-sky fortress, with only one main view towards the sky, the only permanent element in time. godefroy explains, ?the house is a bunker on the outside, one of those massive concrete structures I used...