IMA House & Guest House

Discipline : Architecture

Categories : Residential Building / Prestige House : Grand Winner

This residential project is located on an elongated site overlooking the sea of Cabo San Lucas, Mexico. The concept through a series of large, rammed earth walls, patios that configure the different spaces within the house, and several water mirrors complete with small waterfalls that function as elements of serenity. It was established A profound connection with nature in this house though open spaces that introduce natural lighting and cross ventilation to the structure. The use of earth as a construction material serves to further connect the home to the site, blurring the lines that separate nature and architecture. The colors and texture offered by this material function as a perfect framework for the generous views to the blue of the sea and the infinity of the sky. The access features a blind façade where the protruding volume of the second-level bedroom serves as a roof that directs the user, through a private patio, to the main entrance. Within this patio, one can find comfort in an autochthon landscape surrounded by a water basin.

On side of the main corridor, there is a water mirror with a central stone sculpture located between two double-height walls of rammed earth frames and echoes the diaphanous sky also an organically grown garden. The east facade is completely open towards the sea. The solar incidence has been modulated with imposing concrete slabs flying over the social area on the ground floor; upstairs, the slabs serve as terraces for bedrooms. A pool at the edge of the site marks a thin line that fades with the horizon of the sea. The house features four bedrooms on the upper level, two of which has a important connection with the sea, which can be appreciated from two different angles in the bedroom and in their bathrooms. Each bedroom also has a large terrace with lounge furniture, a fire pit, and a private jacuzzi.

A second house was designed as the guesthouse for IMA House in Maravilla Los Cabos, Mexico. During the Covid-19 pandemic, IMA House became the client’s primary home, and this guesthouse became more than a vacation home, providing refuge to family and friends. Designed with the client’s grandchildren in mind, it uses a similar concept to the main house but has a simpler and less formal program. The two houses share a large outdoor space on the ocean side, which features a pool and a pergola with a fireplace and kitchen. The arrangement though, varies in its concept having a sloped entrance and opening into a courtyard that connects with its neighbor project. The main social space is open towards the ocean, having an entertaining program, sitting lounge and a gym with ocean view. Wood paneling on the ceilings creates a feeling of warmth and a more casual atmosphere throughout. Adjacent living and dining areas open onto a grassy expanse and the ocean beyond, as does a fully equipped gym. Four bedrooms offer sweeping views of the ocean, private terraces, and bathrooms surrounded by wooden privacy screens.

The project in images