Project Casa TO Blends Tropical Modernism & Brutalism in a Temple-Like Retreat in Mexico
▎Located near Puerto Escondido, a laid-back surf town on Oaxaca’s Pacific coast in Mexico, the nine-suite boutique hotel Casa TO was designed by Mexico City-based architect Ludwig Godefroy as a contemporary interpretation of an Oaxacan temple. Blending tropical modernism and brutalist architecture, the low-slung cavernous structure immerses guests into an oasis of austere elegance and intimate monumentality underpinned by the sculptural materiality of raw concrete. Softened by timber furnishings and lush vegetation, whilst seamlessly connected with the surrounding gardens, the brutalist interiors swap luxury and refinement for cathartic simplicity and soulful starkness under the hotel’s proposition of “contemplative hospitality”.
▎Casa TO is centred around a cavernous space dominated by a pool stretching across the building’s entire length with the reception and lounge area running alongside it. Built entirely from cast-in-situ concrete, the cave-like space was inspired by two historic underground cisterns, namely the 6th century Basilica Cistern, also known as Yerebatan Sarayi, the largest of several hundred Byzantine cisterns that lie beneath the city of Istanbul, and the 19th century Hornsey Wood Reservoir in London’s Finsbury Park.
Transversal walls punctured by circular cutouts segment the area into more intimate sections so as to offer guests privacy while wide openings showcase the lush gardens or views of the sky as well as facilitate natural ventilation. Vaulted ceilings and stepped seating serve to guide guests from their suites down to the water’s edge or upwards to a rooftop, adding to the architecture’s complexity and further enhancing the sensation of an ancient pre-Hispanic temple combined with the climbing plants and banana and passion fruit trees that envelop the structure.
▎The prevalence of exposed concrete surfaces extends to Casa TO’s nine suites including in the use of built-in furniture, such as benches, shelving, vanities and guest beds, then softened by bespoke furniture handcrafted by local craftspeople, colourful rugs and tapestries, and an abundance of potted plants. Private gardens in the six ground floor suites and private terraces with plunge pools in the three suites on the upper level, add to the accommodations’ serene charm.
The architecture’s soulful minimalism is further complemented by the culinary offerings courtesy of chef Luis Pabón along with sommelier Gabriela Moreno, the duo behind the hotel’s restaurant Glou Glou. Based on fresh, local products, the all-day restaurant serves an à la carte breakfast in the morning, tapas-style dishes during the day, and a degustation menu in the evening that revisits ancestral culinary traditions. Pabón’s seasonal dishes are paired with a selection of organic wines from small producers, including low-alcohol reds, also known as glou glou.
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