Orchid Pavilion at Puerto Escondido
CCA Centro de Colaboración Arquitectónica | Bernardo Quinzaños- Type Pavilion
- Material Wood
- Date 2023
- City Puerto Escondido (Oaxaca)
- Country Mexico
- Photographer Jaime Navarro Rafael Gamo
Fundación Casa Wabi, an organization that fosters collaboration and social commitment through contemporary art, runs from three locations: in Puerto Escondido, Mexico City, and Tokyo. The initiative of the artist Bosco Sodi is based on the Japanese philosophy of Wabi-Sabi, which shows a view of the world centered on acceptance of simplicity, imperfection, and unconventionality.
Over time, the Puerto Escondido base, designed by Tadao Ando, has been expanded with new constructions by Álvaro Siza, Kengo Kuma, Solano Benítez, Gloria Cabral, Alberto Kalach, and more. A work of the architect Bernardo Quinzaños, the new pavilion is a facility for the conservation of orchids in the Oaxaca region, so the wooden volume is adapted to the needs of these plants: humidity, partial shade, and good ventilation. Its design combines vernacular techniques and materials, such as wood and clay ceramic. A series of clay basins shaped like pyramids, filled with water, are placed at the top of a simple wooden structure. The basins slowly filter droplets of water that fall to the ground, allowing drip irrigation. The water is collected in clay trays that are permanently humid. The breeze and heat enable the orchids to get water directly from the environment, making manual watering unnecessary.