Ludwig Godefroy
CASA VO / WO
THE ARCHITECHT
Born in France, Mexican architect Ludwig Godefroy possesses a profound passion for architecture nurtured by the influence of two distinct countries. Mexico, his current place of residence and work, serves as his primary wellspring of creative inspiration. This deep connection with Mexico has fostered a heartfelt and affectionate bond, ultimately leading him to establish his own architectural practice, Ludwig Godefroy Architecture, in the country in 2011.
Innovative Design in Puerto Escondido
In Puerto Escondido, the architect introduced circular openings in sloping ceilings, enabling the creation of pools and semi-outdoor gardens. Godefroy, on the other hand, integrated circular openings in concrete structures to fashion cave-like interiors that embrace the tropical climate of the Pacific coast. The project comprises four identical dwellings distributed between two adjacent structures.
Capitalizing on Puerto Escondido's warm climate, Godefroy designed Casa VO and Casa WO to remain open year-round while offering protection from rain. This unique approach involved placing vegetation inside, reversing the traditional house-with-garden layout, effectively erasing the boundary between indoors and outdoors. The "barbarist" house blends the garden and private pool with the living area, emphasizing materials that age gracefully over time, contrary to typical deterioration trends.
"The houses were built using "solid" materials such as concrete, wood and brick. The materials were selected for their durability and eventual patina. I see time as an additional element of design." Ludwig Godefroy
Bridging Space in Modern Homes
Instead of being simple circular openings, the sloping dormers also serve as mirrored passageways in the centre of the courtyard of each individual dwelling. The sloping roofs meet at the bottom of their slope to form a V-shaped structure. Residents pass under the lower dormer, across the pool, then through a larger dormer to access the main living area under the sloping roof.
Inside, there is a bedroom, kitchen, dining room and seating under the sloping roof. A bedroom and mezzanine toilet are nestled under the highest point of the structure. Concrete notches at the top of the roof can be used as passageways to cross the entire length of the building.
The kitchen is located below ground level, separated from the ground floor sleeping area by a circular concrete divider. A similar column divider surrounds the shower in the upstairs bedroom.
Simplicity and Time
Godefroy has deliberately favoured simplicity over the 'superfluous' aspect of urban architectural language. References to urban life in Mexico City have disappeared, with the absence of windows and glass.
To bring light into the cave-like living room, additional skylights and openings have been aligned along the rear wall of the house, above the kitchen and upstairs bathroom.
Rainwater is collected by flowerbeds, the swimming pool or a drainage system along the sloping roof. The party walls between the houses are embellished with circular and triangular geometric cut-outs, offering privacy to the residents while creating fin-like extensions to the building's façade.
The concept of time becomes part of architecture. Time as if it were a material, following the purpose of taking a step back in this old and simple idea to let the "patina of time" be part of the project.
