- Project: Tate House
- Architect: Materia
- Location: Mexico, Puerto Escondido, Oaxaca
- Year: 2024
- Area: 514 m2
- Photography: Jaime Navarro
A Sanctuary of Connection to Nature
Set along the Pacific coast of Oaxaca, Tate House by MATERIA is an architectural meditation on landscape, craft, and sensory experience. Conceived as a series of open pavilions interwoven with tropical gardens, the residence blurs the boundaries between interior and exterior, architecture and nature.
Through the thoughtful use of local materials, traditional craftsmanship, and regionally inspired forms, the project creates a sanctuary of calm and connection, where the rhythm of light, wind, and vegetation defines daily life.
Designing with Nature in Mind
Tate House emerges as a natural extension of its oceanfront setting, structured around three distinct yet interdependent gardens that transform with the seasons and mirror Oaxaca’s ecological diversity.
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Oceanfront Dune Garden: Extending seamlessly toward the Pacific, this area preserves the native dunes and provides panoramic ocean views framed by wild grasses and coastal flora.
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Jungle Privacy Screen: A lush buffer of tropical vegetation protects the residence from neighboring properties, ensuring privacy while supporting local biodiversity.
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Botanical Desert Garden: Featuring endemic species — agaves, cacti, pochote, copal, and guayacán trees — this garden celebrates Oaxaca’s arid landscapes, fusing sculptural form with ecological resilience.
Each landscape zone introduces a unique microclimate, creating a continuous sensory experience — from the salt-kissed breeze of the shoreline to the quiet stillness of shaded courtyards.
Pavilion Architecture: A Celebration of Craft and Climate
Rooted in Oaxacan tectonic tradition, the architectural language of Tate House combines modern spatial clarity with artisanal materiality.
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Material Palette: A refined mix of concrete, local stone, and tropical hardwood establishes a grounded aesthetic, while weathering textures mirror the surrounding environment.
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Palapa Roofs: Traditional palm-thatched roofs rest on timber frames, creating naturally ventilated, shaded pavilions that regulate heat and light without mechanical systems.
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Masonry Solids: Horizontal planes and heavy stone walls anchor the architecture, evoking permanence and offering cool thermal mass against the coastal heat.
The contrast between open-air structures and dense masonry volumes creates a rhythmic choreography of shadow and light, where daily shifts in the sun’s position bring the architecture to life.
Spaces of Contemplation and Connection
The house’s plan follows a modular, pavilion-based composition, where each structure performs a specific spatial and experiential role.
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Central Pavilion: The social heart of the home, it frames dual vistas — the Pacific Ocean to the west and the Sierra Madre mountains to the east. Functioning as a threshold between permanence and movement, this space connects the natural elements through an ever-present cross-breeze.
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Private Pavilions: Bedrooms and intimate spaces are organized around individual gardens and terraces, offering privacy without isolation.
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Oculus and Openings: Circular apertures punctuate the concrete roof slabs, inviting sunlight and rain to filter through — transforming air, water, and light into architectural elements.
Pathways link each pavilion through shaded colonnades and planted courtyards, encouraging a slow, reflective circulation that parallels the tempo of coastal living.
Sustainability and Regional Authenticity
True to MATERIA’s philosophy, Tate House is both contextually authentic and environmentally responsible.
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Local Craftsmanship: Every element — from carpentry and masonry to palm thatching — was executed by local artisans, preserving Oaxaca’s architectural heritage while supporting its economy.
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Passive Cooling: The open-air plan, deep overhangs, and ventilated palapa structures provide natural cooling, eliminating the need for conventional air conditioning.
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Native Biodiversity: The landscape design prioritizes endemic species, reducing water consumption and reinforcing the ecological integrity of the site.
In essence, the project demonstrates how regional tradition can evolve into sustainable innovation, offering a blueprint for future tropical architecture rooted in place and purpose.
The Tate House by MATERIA stands as an ode to Oaxaca’s landscape and craft — an architecture that listens, breathes, and adapts. By intertwining pavilions, gardens, and artisanal techniques, the residence dissolves the boundaries between built form and environment.
It is both a retreat and a reflection — a place where nature defines architecture, and architecture, in turn, amplifies the quiet poetry of nature.
