Project: Casa Xixim
Architects: Specht Harpman Architects
Location: Tulum, Mexico
Area: 4,800 sq ft
Photographs by: Taggart Sorensen
Specht Harpman Architects, a New York-based firm, have designed the Casa Xixim or the Xixim House in Tulum, Mexico – a beautiful and increasingly popular place on the Caribbean Coast.
This luxurious, contemporary home was designed as a holiday rental home. It’s open plan design creates plenty of entertainment areas but the biggest perk of this home lies in its location. It is situated right on the seafront. It is very close to the beach and its rooms open out onto terraces that give stunning sea views. Those who are feeling too lazy to go to the beach can chill out in the swimming pool, under a white palm tree shade.
This villa hotel, on a narrow lot fronting a protected bay in Tulum, Mexico, is designed to be fully self-sufficient, and to work in concert with its unique site. A path leads from a mangrove marsh, through a palm grove, into a main living space that can be fully opened. The path then continues to the beach beyond. The distinction between interior and exterior dissolves, and house and site merge to become part of one continuous experience.
The upper bedrooms of the house open onto a series of terraces, both planted and habitable. The upper roof is a lounge shaded by an overhead solar array. These elevated viewpoints provide another way to experience the surrounding environment.
The house is fully self-sufficient, with photovoltaic power generation; on-site waste processing via tank digesters and an artificial wetland; and rainwater collection, storage, and pressurization systems. Passive systems are also used, with louvered doors to capture breezes, and planted roof areas to mitigate stormwater flow.
Materials used in the house were all locally-sourced, including louvered wood sliding doors, and hand-painted “pasta tiles”. Tulum-based craftsmanship is emphasized, with intricate stonework for selected walls, and site-built furnishings throughout.
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