Cadaval & Solà-Morales: Tepoztlán Lounge

Barcelona and Mexico City-based studio Cadaval & Solà-Morales have recently completed the Tepoztlan Lounge, the first building of a larger project which comprises a series of bungalows of different sizes and designs, in a concept of hospitality which foresees a rental period of years, months or days.

Tepoztlan is a small town nestled between rocky cliffs 50 km south of Mexico City. A town of legends and deep cultural roots, the city has been a retreat for writers, poets, artists and musicians over many decades. In this context, Cadaval & Solà-Morales' project sets itself to become a central communal space for leisure in nature, in a constant negotiation between interior and exterior. Here, the limits between the open patios and three built volumes merge to produce a single architectural entity.

The design establishes three separate living quarters, each of them a set space defined by its use, but also by a very clear and simple architectural container: the first holds an open bar with a kitchenette, together with a couple of restrooms and dressing rooms; the second is a play area for children that can also be used as a reading room when temperatures drop at night; and finally the largest container is the living area, an enclosed, tempered and comfortable space for conversation. "It's in the desire to give continuity to these three separate areas that the project is empowered and becomes meaningful," state the architects. "A continuous space, in full contact with the nature but protected from its inclemency, is set up not only to expand the enclosed uses, but also to allow new activities to arise."

Through the definition of this central space's shape emerges the definition of the contiguous courtyards. The design of the swimming pool is part of this same intervention, and responds to the desire to characterize the spaces, while its formalization resonates with the layout of the lounge. The building is situated amidst the surrounding nature in a non-invasive way, seeking to respect the existing context, while incorporating two pre-existing trees in the building's layout. The Tepoztlan Lounge is built in concrete, a common and inexpensive material in Mexico, not only to minimize its maintenance, but simultaneously exposing its structural simplicity and neutrality.

Cadaval & Solà-Morales: Tepoztlán Lounge
Project: Eduardo Cadaval & Clara Solà-Morales
Collaborators: Eugenio Eraña Lagos, Tomas Clara, Manuel Tojal
Structural Engineering: Ricardo Camacho de la Fuente
Location: Tepoztlán, Morelos, México
Area: 250 square metres
Timeframe: Project, 2009; Construction, 2012