- Outdoor & travel
This time, we take you to a stunning surf villa called Punta Majahua. Designed by Zozoya Arquitectos and located on a spectacular ten thousand square metre plot of land on a peninsula, north of Troncones in Guerrero, Mexico. The views and accompanying sound of the ocean as well as the integration of nature with architecture perfectly feed the purpose of this retreat, which is to seek tranquillity.
Zozaya Arquitectos was founded by prestigious architect Enrique Zozaya. The firm was born from the concept of creating homes with a unique and innovative style in their architecture, always prioritising sustainability with the least impact on the natural environment. Their distinctive design style is shaped by several key elements. For instance, they always prioritise the protection of nature and will always unify colours and textures with their surroundings thanks to the use of local materials. In doing so, they use only master craftsmen, resulting not only in exceptional quality but also in strong craftsmanship. Their design is based on the details resulting from daily observation of the weather, natural landscape, natural lighting, local traditions and materials. Achieving spaces that harmonise and providing beautiful and unique residences are their main goals. One of their recent projects called Punta Majahua bears this out. 
The idea behind the design was to create luxury beachfront homes, with a very organic and fluid architectural style that integrates the site as much as possible. The team's aesthetic approach is best described as craftsmanship and materials emphasised in their form of artisanal expression and seeing architecture as part of its environment, namely nature in this case.The outdoors was therefore one of their main sources of inspiration.The project's plan consists of six buildings, each with three floors and five to eight dwellings making up thirty-nine units, a covered garage, a padel court, a family swimming pool with a semi-Olympic round court, an administrative office, a gym, staff and service area, orchards for residents' consumption and green areas."Taking advantage of the location and condition of the site, we gave top priority to the best conceivable location for these residences by situating them as close to the ocean as possible, with spectacular ocean views, privacy between the residences and a north-facing orientation, which is ideal for reducing energy consumption and providing adequate cooling for the residences," the team at Zozaya Arquitectos tells us. The ground-floor residences have partial private gardens with exclusive exits to the beach, and the residences above them are in turn distinguished by their views of the ocean and the Sierra Madre mountain range at the rear façade.The project's architectural style concentres on the use of curved walls on the ground floor and facades.When the design team decided to break away from the traditional ninety-degree angles, they managed to create very special and unique homes, where the use of curved walls allowed them to solve the spaces in a more integral way.
The distinctive curved masonry walls derive their forms from the coastal environment
For the materials, the architectural team chose a composition they use more often in similar projects with a traditional coastal style of Zihuantanejo. These are often characterised by masonry walls, bamboo, dry palm branches for gazebos and palapas, river stones for decorating carpets and plinths in the interiors, floors of hammered mar-mer, parota wood and bamboo carpentry, among others. The residences are designed homes that embody a timeless and meaningful design with a touch of modern and a touch of wabi sabi. With a strong connection to the natural environment and the use of honest materials, they bring a sense of calm and simplicity to the peninsula. The interiors are very welcoming with attention to detail at every step. In turn, an abundance of light provides subtle reflective qualities. The materiality concentrates on the hard and soft for balance rather than contrast. It expresses the familiarity of wood, the integrity of polished surface-ken and the warmth of the finish on the walls.This project could completely transform the talented team of architects into a warm and pleasant place to contemplate the island's beautiful sunsets.The team at Zozaya Arquitectos thus managed to create an austere but beautiful whole of the surf villa that lends itself perfectly to relaxing and unwinding. 
You can read more in the summer 2023 edition of Imagicasa Magazine.
Architects in charge: Enrique Zozaya and Daniel Zozaya
Photography by César Belio
Text by Elke Aerts