Designed as a contemporary interpretation of the Oaxacan Temple of Mexico, Ludwig Godefroy’s brutalist Casa TO has taken our breath away. Despite its grand tectonic gestures and its overwhelming appearance, visitors may find the grace it has with its surroundings, submerged with the overwhelming sensory experience it presents.

Like a grand sand palace that has aged gracefully over time, Casa TO is a 600-square-metre two-storey hotel covered by thriving vegetation in La Punta de Zicatela, Mexico. The brief was to ensure the architecture would offer visitors a ‘discreet oasis’ while still maintaining a sense of openness to allow—reconnecting with the natural landscapes of Oaxaca, renowned for its biodiversity, golden sunsets and stunning beaches.

The project took cues from two historical hydraulic works—the Basilica Cistern in Istanbul and the Hornsey Wood Reservoir in London alongside some modern architectural principles. The culmination of these timeless masterpieces eventuated into an elegant plan of a pool and solarium in the heart of the hotel and nine adjacent rooms connected by a series of statement staircases that function as common areas. Throughout, the concrete panels and walls employed are introduced with overwhelming, turquoise-framed fenestration voids, establishing linear sightlines that would direct external views into the pool.

As much as an intervention the architecture is to the surrounds, the overall function of the hotel would operate on minimal services. The use of thick concrete partitions already offers a cooling environment for the bedrooms. Each room is also privy to its own garden if not a terrace and outdoor bath for effective ventilation. Beyond the monolithic appearance, the interior’s high ceilings and large cut-outs invite foliage to reclaim and climb through or embrace the structure – a whimsical symbiotic relationship that allows the architecture to become a haven for those who have arrived to seek introspection.

In true Godefroy fashion, the concrete is used functionally and aesthetically. Each wall is carefully moulded for textural details inspired by the pattern of the existing Madagascar Blue Bismarck palm trees and dark stained timber framing is used to soften the hard surfaces. The central area is paved with deep earthy clay tiles in a herringbone pattern to offer a welcoming warmth as the sunlight seeps through the angled roof of the structure—an additional intangible geometric touch to compliment the structural lines.

The raw material doesn’t stop there. Where opportunity presents itself, the architecture’s sculpture functions as a furniture base. Each room is moulded with a concrete bed base, shelving, vanity, storage, and outdoor bath—modelled to tailor Godefroy’s own Modular style and furnished with items crafted by Mexican artisans. Like how the hotel’s overall character is defined by the impressive staircases, rooms that are located on the sloped edge of the site are given split-level staircases within, forever consistent in the overall design language.

Almost cave-like and pavilion-esque in nature, Casas TO revels in using scale to impress and take one’s breath away.

[Images courtesy of Ludwig Godefroy. Photography by Biel Moreno.]