Archello Awards 2026 · Enter your projects before 30 September 2026
Archello Awards 2026 · Enter your projects before 30 September 2026
Casa Chachalaca
TreeMedia

Casa Chachalaca

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This house is located on the Mexican Pacific coast, on a hill of tropical rainforest planted with papelillos (Bursea siramuba) and palm trees, home to the chachalaca (Ortalis poliocephala). 

This is a space of connection with nature; the jungle, sea, and sky merge majestically on the horizon. The project had to be worthy of this sanctuary.

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TreeMedia
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TreeMedia

The serenity of the spaces transports one to the inner connection of one's being.

We believe that the design of straight lines is familiar to the eye, while the design of curves is more closely related to nature. Therefore, we believe the fusion of straight and curved lines in the project created a connection between the natural and the artificial, between architecture and the natural landscape. 

The creation of the project's geometric forms is inspired by the shapes of certain stones, with straight lines softened snd rounded by millennia of wear. We imagined a stone falling in the center of the project and creating a shock wave, passing through the palapa, the terrace, and the perimeter pool.

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TreeMedia
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We truly wanted the house to levitate among the treetops. It was a challenge tp achieve this; the land has a steep slope and a considerable 25-meter drop from the access road to the lower level, making the concrete structure that supports the pool and terrace platforms a significant feature.

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TreeMedia
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TreeMedia

To maintain the project's serenity, we selected simple materials. The exterior walls are plastered with cement and sand, in a off-white color. The interior walls were finished with polished white cement, creating a unique patina. The headboards and bed bases, and the countertops in the bathrooms and kitchen, are also made of polished white cement. The exterior floors are made of hammered white cement, an excellent solution for outdoor living, it stays cool in the sun and provides traction when walking, even in the rain. The interior floors are gray microcement. The bathroom showers, walls, niches, and benches are polished gray cement, and the floor is a combination of hammered white cement rings and white bola stone. The structure of the large palapa is made of guayabillo wood, and the roof is made of royal palm leaves. All the aforementioned finishes are handmade by Mexican artisans.

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TreeMedia
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The house is entered through a portal, welcoming us to the sky and the reflecting water of the hand-carved marble fountain. Below are the stairs that serve as an open-air hallway that connects to the terraces, bedrooms, and social areas. The first covered space upon arrival is the study-TV room: descending leads to the fire pit platform and the daybed covered by the wooden pergola. The next platform leads to the guest bedroom, which is accessed through a narrow, high hallway for dramatic effect. The last platform leads to the palapa and terrace. Behind the low wall of the curved sofa in the great room, there are open spaces that serve as a vestibule and distribute circulation to the master bedroom, kitchen, and guest bathroom.

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TreeMedia
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TreeMedia
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TreeMedia

The palapa great room has a panoramic view of the perimeter pool, the jungle, the sea, and the sky. The master bedroom is visually connected to the pool, and the maste bathroom is directly connected to the pool by a staircase, and from there to the ice-cold tub. The hot tub is located on the opposite side of the pool.

Below the large pool platform are the cistern, the mechanical room, the pool's surge tank, and the maintenance staff's quarters. 

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Project credits

Product spec sheet

Ceiling fans
Roto and Wave by Minka Aire
Shower sets
TRANSITION Collectio... and 12" Round Shower Hea... by Phylrich
Bathroom faucets
Finoris by Hansgrohe SE
Manufacturers
Minka Aire by Lamps Plus, Inc.
Switches and sockets
Decora by Leviton

Project data

Project Year
2025
Primary Building Material
Concrete
Building Area
685 m2
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