Suuel Living, developed by the SUUEL Living / CAAM Arquitectos project team, is located in Puerto Escondido, Oaxaca, and was conceived as a coastal sanctuary where daily routine harmonizes with the tranquility of the local landscape. This development represents a natural continuation of the well-known Hotel Suuel, transporting its essence to a residential environment focused on well-being, serenity, and proximity to the environment.
The architectural conception is notably manifested through large, illuminated areas that frame exceptional views, allowing each residential unit to establish a continuous dialogue with the surrounding nature. The project structure is based on a symmetrical grid inserted into a perfect square, a choice that imparts order, balance, and a sense of harmony in all its corners.
This geometry prioritizes the central core of vertical circulation, ensuring that natural light and ventilation circulate freely throughout all residential spaces. The generous terraces function as an extension of each apartment, transforming into private refuges that encourage experiencing the local comfort.
The complex is distributed over three floors, maintaining a meticulously planned scale. On the ground floor, an entrance hall provides access to three apartments and a common area adjacent to the pool, offering a first contact with the relaxed atmosphere of the complex. The first floor accommodates five apartments, while the second floor has three more units.
At the top, a viewpoint, accessible by a ladder staircase, offers a panoramic view of the coast, serving as a point of contemplation that culminates the project. Each unit was designed with unique characteristics, resulting in different types of housing, such as one-bedroom studios, two-bedroom suites, and lofts with double height ceilings, the latter interconnected by a private spiral staircase. All apartments include a terrace, a personal space that always offers a glimpse of the outdoors.
In summary, Suuel Living proposes an immersion in architecture through a deep connection with nature, creating an experience of calm, comfort, and balance in one of Oaxaca's most authentic destinations.
The Hospital del Mar is located at the southern end of the Mar Campus, bordered by the seaside promenade, the Ronda Litoral highway, railway lines, and the Barceloneta neighborhood.
The project faced several obstacles due to the complex nature of the terrain, which had only one access point, a water table situated eight meters deep, in addition to the fact that the hospital remained operational throughout the construction period.
Additionally, a tight schedule, with a delivery deadline reduced by six months after the project selection to receive funding from the Next Generation EU program, forced a complete restructuring of the construction system midway through the process.
This change involved replacing the traditional cast-in-place concrete structure with a prefabricated solution. The client's objective was to obtain a center capable of adapting to future health emergencies, resulting in a building that is flexible and evolutionary, able to keep pace with social changes and medical advancements.
The Praia Preta II Residence, designed by the firm Luis Canepa Arquitetos, is located in a prominent area on the north coast of São Paulo. The residence's design follows an L-shape, allowing one facade to offer a sea view over the rocks, while the other faces the beach.
The project is characterized by remarkable architecture and the use of rustic materials, including bricks with protruding joints painted white, stone walls, and rustic wood. The main concept of the project was to adapt to the current demands of the owners while preserving the existing architecture and natural environment.
The intervention in the house involved three main changes: converting the garage into an integrated living and dining area next to the kitchen; establishing a barrier between the bedroom doors and the garden; and developing an area dedicated to barbecue and swimming pool.
The wall separating the garage from the kitchen was removed, and the garage was enclosed with large glass doors that provide access to the garden with an ocean view. On the opposite facade, where the house entrance is located, a half-wall with windows was erected, and a rustic brise soleil was added to ensure the occupants' privacy from visitors.
To maintain privacy in the bedrooms, which previously had open doors directly to the exterior area, a half-wall complemented by rustic brises was built, preventing arrivals from having a direct view into the house.
On the facade facing the beach, a roof extension was designed to shelter a barbecue area and a spacious counter. Additionally, at the lower part of the land, a swimming pool accompanied by a deck with a beach view was created, ensuring privacy between the bedrooms and the pool area.
Casa en el Aire, a single-family residence designed by Marcela Carranza, is located in San Mateo de Alajuela, Costa Rica. The project was developed on terrain characterized by a steep slope and a prominent landscape. The central idea of the project was to meet the need for housing through a discreet architectural intervention.
To achieve this, the house was elevated on stilts, avoiding massive support on the ground. This elevation serves to reduce earth movement, ensure ecological continuity beneath the structure, prevent blockage of rainwater runoff, and prevent flooding. Thus, it became possible to make a complex location habitable while maintaining the necessary accessibility and comfort for elderly residents.
The syntactic arrangement of the project is based on an 'L' shape, which divides the space into two distinct areas: the social and the intimate. This geometry was chosen not only for functional reasons but also from a careful analysis of the terrain itself. The building was positioned set back behind an existing tree, which was maintained as an environmental and perceptual focal point of the complex.
Because of this decision, the vegetation ceased to be merely a backdrop and began to function as a spatial structure. It filters views, moderates the arrival experience, provides shade, accompanies the path, and creates a relationship of coexistence between the built environment and the natural ecosystem.
The most important architectural element of the project is the perimeter veranda, which also has an 'L' shape. This veranda fulfills multiple functions: it serves as a circulation area, a place of stay, a climatic barrier, and a space for social interaction. Its wide and continuous design alludes to local construction traditions in Costa Rica, where the veranda traditionally functions as a transition zone between the interior and exterior, as well as a domestic space dedicated to rest, contemplation, and gatherings.
This cultural reference was adopted not out of mere aesthetic nostalgia, but due to its environmental intelligence. The veranda offers protection against solar incidence and rain, optimizes cross-ventilation, and increases the various ways the space can be used daily.
The selection of materials used reinforces this contextual reading of the project. Wood, metal, and light cladding were applied with a clear constructive logic, avoiding any appearance of unnecessary grandeur. The elevated structure, the large roofs, the louvers that allow air passage, the movable panels, and the open surfaces facing the landscape define a contemporary tropical architecture that demonstrates attention to climate and the precise use of available resources.
The project recognizes that, in the context of Costa Rica, housing cannot be understood separately from topography, humidity, the presence of shade, biodiversity, and cultural customs related to outdoor life. Casa en el Aire manages to establish harmony with the terrain, proving that housing can meet specific demands—such as comfort, privacy, accessibility, and family life—without simply turning the lot into a passive support. The work uses the delicacy of the ecosystem as a design criterion, proposing a light, open domestic life deeply connected to its context.
