House on the Beach

Situated on a beach overlooking the Pacific Ocean, the architecture of this house unifies the contemporary and the vernacular. It maintains the traditional palapa style, developed over centuries to respond ideally to the local climate conditions, while appearing and performing differently through the integration of modern technology. The classic tripartite structure of floor-wall-ceiling is dissolved into a single surface that encloses and wraps around the interior spaces. Appearing like a seashell resting on the sand, the house is open towards the seaside to the South and closed towards the street entrance to the North.