- Project: Casa Higueras
- Architect: COA Arquitectura
- Location: Mexico, Chacala
- Year: 2020
- Area: 555 m2
- Photography: César Béjar Studio
A House Between Jungle and Sea
Just 100 meters from the Pacific coastline of Chacala, Mexico, Casa Higueras by CoA Arquitectura is more than a residence—it is a home woven into the dense fabric of the jungle. Designed for a family of four and frequent guests, the project balances privacy with openness, creating a refuge that embraces the fig trees dominating the site. Their trunks, roots, and canopies not only shape the design but also provide natural screening from the outside world.
Privacy Through Positioning
Instead of taking the central position on the lot, the architects strategically placed the house toward the back of the site, using the natural vegetation at the front as a privacy buffer. A gravel-lined path leads from the street and garage access to a shaded palapa, the informal social heart of the home. From here, residents transition into the enclosed day areas, blurring the boundary between open-air living and sheltered interiors.
A Broken Plan Around Nature
The home’s broken floor plan is a direct response to the geometry of the site and the desire to preserve existing vegetation. By bending the plan around fig trees and natural clearings, the design maximizes views while shielding interiors from neighbors. On the ground floor, verandas extend from interior spaces, functioning as protective thresholds that guard against sun and rain while linking the main residence with guest quarters.
Material Palette: Concrete and Parota Wood
The architecture combines robust and refined elements. Polished concrete walls and columns anchor the structure, framing large wooden windows and supporting the rough, monolithic upper volume. This balance of textures continues indoors, where Parota carpentry contrasts against light-colored plastered walls. The interplay of materials amplifies luminosity—essential in a setting where the dense jungle canopy casts deep, permanent shade.
Upper-Level Openings and Jungle Views
On the upper floor, each bedroom engages directly with the landscape. Carefully placed perforations in the volume create balconies, outdoor showers, and window alcoves that invite natural light and fresh air while framing immersive views of the surrounding fig trees and lush jungle.
A Seamless Jungle Refuge
By embracing the site’s existing trees, topography, and vegetation, Casa Higueras achieves a balance of privacy, openness, and environmental respect. It is at once a coastal retreat and a jungle sanctuary, where architecture does not dominate the landscape but rather emerges from it.
With its broken-plan organization, integration of fig trees, and sensitive use of materials, CoA Arquitectura has created a residence that reflects both Mexican contemporary design values and the timeless serenity of Chacala’s tropical environment.
