- Architecture
A house must breathe, all year round. Here in this villa, this need is fulfilled by two things: omnipresent vegetation and a big focus on sliding doors. The indoor and outdoor life complement each other seamlessly, which leads to the warm climate becoming a fixed factor in the home of the residents. This is southern living at its best.
Lavish greenery everywhere you look, clearly present and spacious windows, and a construction that is mostly open: this family home can rely on a lot of qualities. Dense vegetation nearby the city of Tulum, Mexico is the background where NOIZ architekti realised this project. At the front of the property, you look out on the exotic forests, while at the back the vegetation stays lower to the ground. The architecture functions as a type of divider between these two zones and, naturally, needed to pay utmost respect to the local fauna and flora. Characterising the location are the warm, sultry temperatures. To make the clients as comfortably as possible, the team ensured that sufficient attention went out to the ventilation. They made this concrete with the construction of the floor, which is not equal with the ground of the terrain but instead rests upon bearing walls and, in this way, allows natural ventilation. They used the same principle for the roof, where there is enough room between the beams and the wind guarantees enough cooling. Next to this, the climate is known because of the amount of sunlight, so it was crucial to provide shadow zones to avoid that the house would heat up too much. The covered terrace answers perfectly to this demand and is also large enough to function as a second living area. 
Characterising the location are the warm, sultry temperatures.
Thanks to the many windows, the idea of spaciousness dominates, and the sightlines generate an abundance of natural daylight. A well-chosen contrast with the cleanness of the glass is possible because of the repeated use of stone in both the interior and exterior. The indoor living area was given an open construction, which means that the living room and kitchen fuse with one another. Striking throughout the entire home is that the selected colours all reside within the beige aesthetic yet converge in a lively result that you do not experience as monochrome. The present nature ensures a dose of greenery, as does the consistent incorporation of wood. To further enhance the connection between the different zones, the kitchen has a view of the bedroom. Here, a freestanding bathtub invites you to a withdrawn moment of relaxation, and the same goes out for the impressive rain shower in the separate bathroom. To continue the chill atmosphere into the smaller things as well, outside you can find a hammock or take a seat at the extensive lounge area on the terrace. In the middle of the garden, the swimming pool stretches out before your eyes, although the most special aspect of the design you would need to search for higher up. Namely, on top of this the architecture contains a tower, of which the stairs first lead you to a platform that is ideal for practicing yoga and, on the second floor, result in a breathtaking viewpoint over Mexican nature. 
In this villa, the accents lie on the present greenery, the many windows, and responding to the warm climate. The residents are fully immersed in the southern spheres and, with this home, are fully equipped to lead a life full of pleasure and appreciation. Hopefully the future has more similar stories to offer! 
Photography by Pol Rodriguez