A Hybrid Typology: Chiripa Building by Palma

Familiar forms and geometric volumes come together in Palma Architects’ latest mixed-used residential piece. Based in Sayulita, a village on Mexico’s Pacific coast — Chiripa Building is a pair of residential towers that embrace the mixed typologies of a ‘house, apartments, hotel’, offering curious intersections and experiments depending on the user of the space within the time.

Chiripa is amassed of two thin volumes that look like a pair of arms placed parallel to each other. The placement of the towers takes advantage of the best views toward the beach while appropriately shielded by the foliage.

Made of four storeys and six units in total, Chiripa is accessed via the ground level, however, as the building is nestled into a sloped site, visitors must either descend to two levels below otherwise another level above to access the units. The architects, being careful not to encroach too much on the property, established an impressive 40 square metre footprint for each volume while leaving the rest for a lush, landscaped garden. The garden and coast can be appreciated from the series of bridges connecting the two towers.

From the plan view, both volumes are simple rectangles capped with a curved end for a balcony and a central staircase on the other. As the entire structure is built on the classic modernist concrete slab and column structure, it allowed for consistency in the interior layout. The ground floor—serving the main point of entry—houses a common area while also being a buffer for the units at the levels below and above. Each residential or hotel unit consists of a balcony on the southern end serving as an extension of a bedroom or entertainment area depending on the user’s will.

Colour-wise, Palma selects a palette the cool off-white stucco (to serve as a backdrop for the shadows cast by the flora)—with a darker shade for the bands wrapped around the towers to indicate a new level. Pale sky blue that feels like it has been poured from the clear skies lace itself on the smaller details found in the handrails, windows, slab edges, and as an accent floor colour.

The curved motif is strongly presented on the balconies and the staircase edge is repeated in the curved doors. Pops of circular openings are found dotted on various walls, tying to the circular pool cemented on the roof terrace. For an additional level of porosity, the architects introduce a brick-like latticework on the building façade, creating effective ventilation throughout the property.

Though we’ve heard of service apartments, it’s not every day that a short stay and long stay have meshed in architecture. Chiripa offers opportunities for interesting intersections to arise in the imagination of the occupants. Whether it’d be new communities or friendships, I’m curious to see what relationships it could bring forth from this design.