- Project: Suna House
- Architect: YDR estudio
- Location: Mexico, La Ribera, Baja California Sur
- Year: 2024
- Area: 700 m2
- Photography: Luz Imelda Castillo
Between desert, mountains, and sea, a circular sky court becomes the soul of a contemporary retreat.
On Baja California Sur’s East Cape, Suna House by YDR estudio choreographs an arrival from arid landscape to the ocean’s edge, using stone, sand-toned concrete, and warm timber to dissolve the line between interior and exterior. The home’s low profile settles into La Ribera’s dunes and palms, then pivots around a dramatic circular courtyard—a stargazing “room” under the open sky that organizes movement, breeze, and light across a 700-square-meter plan completed in 2024. Six suites, expansive social spaces, and a stepped pool terrace face the beach; service and parking volumes are veiled behind a cactus wall, turning the approach into a slow reveal of horizon and water.
A calibrated arrival: cactus wall, mirrored modules, hidden service
The entry sequence sets the tone: a sculptural cactus wall screens two mirrored flanking volumes—garage and service house—so the main residence can open fully toward sea and sky without visual clutter. Desert patios guide a central path to the home, compressing views before the plan releases toward the beach terrace.
The sky court as organizing principle
At the heart of the house, a circular patio acts as social condenser and thermal moderator. A built-in circular sofa wraps a fire pit, framing constellations at night and drawing prevailing breezes by day. From this oculus, programs radiate in clear bands: social spaces seaward; bedrooms shielded to desert patios; services tucked to the rear.
Program and layout: six suites, dual masters
Suna House accommodates six bedrooms—one master suite with a beach view and a second master oriented to the sky court. Two more bedrooms share a bath alongside a bunk room; the remaining rooms address a sheltered desert-inspired patio to the back. Bathrooms in travertine maintain a calm, tactile palette across the private wing.
Materials that belong: stone, sand-hued concrete, warm wood
Exterior walls are clad in local stone that blends with on-site sands; beige concrete echoes dune tones; timber accents add warmth at thresholds and soffits. The restrained palette keeps the architecture recessive to context while providing durability for salt, sun, and wind. ArchDaily
Seamless indoor–outdoor living and climate strategy
From entry to ocean terrace, the plan maintains a continuous, open section to invite cross-ventilation and long sightlines. At the beachfront, a sculptural composition of stepped concrete cubes forms pool, spa, and broad steps descending toward the sand—extending social life outward while preserving the home’s low silhouette.
Landscape, light, and night
The courtyard’s circular opening edits the sky into a luminous disk by day, then a celestial theater by night. Low-water planting and stone groundcovers bridge the project’s two ecologies—coastal and desert—while minimizing irrigation and maintenance in a fragile environment.
