This holiday home in Mexican beach town Zihuatanejo was designed by Zozaya Arquitectos to step down a steep slope towards the Pacific Ocean.
Casa Z sits high above the small town, which is a popular tourist destination on Mexico's Pacific coast due to its warm climate and expansive beaches.

"The main concept of the project was to create a minimalist house with rich social spaces where users could enjoy the panoramic views and the climate of the region," Zozaya Arquitectos said in a project description.

A natural stone wall hides the property from the street, revealing only the master suite perched above the rest of the home. Three narrow volumes stack vertically, providing residents with the best possible views of the ocean below. An opening in the property wall reveals a few steps that lead down to a yard in front of the 470-square-metres home.

The middle level, at grade with this garden, is bookend by two concrete walls on the short end, while two sliding glass walls face the ocean and the garden, allowing the slender space to be almost completely open.

The open-plan kitchen, living and dining room leads out onto a terrace overlooking the water, where an infinity pool creates the illusion of a continuous body of water just outside the home. Here, wooden furniture and lush plants contrast the home's exposed structural elements.

An exterior staircase leads to the guest bedrooms, one storey down. There are two suites on this floor, each of which enjoys a small...