A compact white volume gradually opens towards the Pacific landscape through a circular courtyard, a curved concrete wall and a broad roof that reduces the architecture to shelter, shade and framed views.

 

Casa Malonic in Zihuatanejo by HW Studio is a 497m² residence in Punta Garrobo, Guerrero, completed in June 2026. Surrounded by tropical vegetation and overlooking the sea, the house develops through a deliberate transition from enclosure towards openness, using a limited number of architectural elements to regulate privacy, movement and contact with the landscape.

Rather than treating the building as an autonomous object within the site, the design establishes a sequence between street, courtyard, interior and horizon. A continuous roof provides shade, while walls and voids progressively direct the body and the gaze towards the surrounding vegetation and the Pacific Ocean.

 

Shelter as an elementary condition

The conceptual starting point is the enramada, understood as a simple shelter beneath a canopy rather than as a literal reference to vernacular form.

Ground, roof and shade become the project’s fundamental elements. The architecture provides protection from rain and sun while allowing the landscape to remain continuously present around the inhabited areas.

This approach also determines the scale and openness of the main spaces. Rather than framing the horizon as a conventional view from inside a room, the organization of the house develops around its permanent presence.

 

A closed condition towards the street

From the road, Casa Malonic appears as a contained white volume accompanied by a single curved concrete wall.

Following the geometry of the street, the wall establishes a first boundary between the public approach and the private residence. Vegetation, rocks and the natural topography reinforce this protected condition, limiting direct views into the house.

The entrance sequence therefore delays the full perception of the site. The landscape is revealed gradually through movement rather than being immediately exposed from the point of arrival.

This contrast between enclosure and openness becomes one of the main organizing principles of the project.

 

A circular courtyard as a spatial void

The path leads towards a circular courtyard enclosed by white walls.

Here, the relationship with the surroundings changes. Tree canopies, sky and sunlight become visible above the perimeter, while the circular void interrupts the otherwise solid architectural mass.

The courtyard operates simultaneously as an exterior room, a source of natural light and a transitional space. The wall no longer functions simply as an enclosure, but as an edge that frames selected elements of the landscape.

Its geometry also establishes a clear sequence through the house: from the street to a protected interior condition, from there to the courtyard, and eventually towards the open horizon.

 

From enclosure to the horizon

Beyond the courtyard, the building progressively loses the compact character presented towards the street.

The architecture becomes lighter and more open until the roof emerges as the principal element defining the inhabited space. Rather than relying on a continuous envelope, the house establishes shade and protection while maintaining extensive visual contact with the landscape.

The sequence is based on a small number of spatial operations: containment, movement, subtraction and opening.

Solid elements provide privacy where required, while voids introduce light, vegetation and long views. The relationship between mass and absence becomes more important than the formal autonomy of the individual rooms.

 

Material continuity with the site

The treatment of the ground reinforces the relationship with the surrounding landscape.

Its colour and texture recall the sand of the nearby beach, extending a similar material character beneath the roof. The intention is not to reproduce the natural setting literally, but to establish continuity through colour, texture and physical experience.

White surfaces introduce a contrasting element. Their colour relates to the flowers of the nine Cacalosúchil trees surrounding the residence, creating another connection between the constructed volume and the existing vegetation.

The material palette therefore remains deliberately restrained. Ground, white walls, concrete and vegetation provide the main visual and tactile references, allowing changes in light and shadow to remain clearly perceptible throughout the day.

 

Architecture defined by mass and void

Casa Malonic is organized through the gradual transformation of a protected volume into an increasingly open relationship with the site.

The curved wall directs the approach, the circular courtyard removes part of the built mass, and the roof establishes a broad zone of shade towards the landscape. Each element performs a specific spatial role without requiring additional formal complexity.

HW Studio uses this sequence to balance privacy and openness. The house remains closed where it meets the street, becomes porous around the courtyard and finally opens towards the horizon.

The landscape is therefore not treated as a background to the architecture. It becomes the principal condition around which the residence is organized.

Casa Gruta is a 254m² residence in the Sisal neighbourhood of Valladolid, Mexico. Designed by Salvador Román and Adela Mortera, it approaches the house as an inhabitable sculpture. Its spatial language draws on the caves, grottos and cenotes that characterize the geology of the Yucatán Peninsula.

Rather than reproducing these formations literally, the architecture translates their atmosphere into a sequence of passages, chambers and openings. Spaces alternately contract and expand, creating different perceptions of scale as occupants move through the house.

 

 

Entering the grotto

The entrance is marked by an existing álamo tree. In local tradition, this species has been associated with the presence of underground formations. Its preservation therefore establishes both a physical and symbolic point of departure for the project.

From the tree, visitors enter an open-air vestibule before moving into the residence. According to the architects, this sequence recalls the ritualized approach to cenotes in ancient Maya culture. The entrance is treated as a gradual transition rather than a conventional doorway.

Beyond it, enclosed passages lead towards brighter rooms and open courtyards. The changing proportions establish a rhythm of compression and release. Meanwhile, controlled openings allow sunlight to enter in narrow beams or illuminate entire surfaces.

A sequence of chambers and clearings

The internal organization is inspired by underground caverns, where tunnels connect larger chambers and unexpected clearings. Casa Gruta applies this principle to domestic life. Each area has a distinct spatial character, yet remains part of a continuous route.

The residence does not reveal itself from a single viewpoint. Instead, walls, thresholds and changes in light frame partial views of the adjoining spaces. Courtyards interrupt the enclosed composition and bring vegetation, air and daylight into its centre.

This alternation between sheltered interiors and open-air voids creates a balance between introspection and contact with the exterior. The courtyards act as extensions of the rooms, while the solid architectural surfaces preserve a sense of enclosure.

 

 

Material, light and time

The restrained material palette derives from the colours and textures of the Yucatán landscape. Its earthy surfaces reinforce the impression that the house has been carved from a single mass rather than assembled from separate elements.

Light becomes an active material within this setting. It moves across the walls throughout the day, revealing their texture and altering the perceived depth of the rooms. Shadows emphasize corners, passages and curved transitions, giving the architecture a changing character over time.

The design also considers the gradual ageing of its surfaces. Instead of pursuing a pristine and unchanging finish, the residence allows weather, vegetation and everyday use to become visible. This approach strengthens the project’s relationship with the passage of time.

Casa Gruta ultimately uses the image of the grotto to question the conventional openness of the tropical residence. Its protected interiors, carefully positioned courtyards and shifting spatial proportions form a retreat that remains connected with the climate and vegetation of Valladolid.