OMA completes a domed pavilion for both artists and mushrooms at casa wabi

architecture for growing mushrooms at casa wabi

The OMA-designed Mushroom Pavilion has opened at Casa Wabi in Puerto Escondido, Mexico, introducing a compact structure dedicated to mushroom cultivation within the foundation’s coastal landscape. Set across the expansive grounds of Fundación Casa Wabi, the pavilion joins an iconic campus founded by artist Bosco Sodi that blends art production, community engagement, and environmental awareness.

This new addition sits between the mountains and the Pacific Ocean across the foundation’s 65-acre property. The project marks OMA’s first completed building in Mexico. Conceived as both an agricultural facility and a social space, the concrete structure supports mushroom growing while also welcoming both visitors and artists together.

Lead architect Shohei Shigematsu, partner at OMA, comments: ‘Working with Bosco Sodi and Fundacion Casa Wabi, we conceived a pavilion for the very specific function of mushroom cultivation while offering a space for people to come together.‘

casa wabi mushroom pavilion
images © Rafael Gamo

OMA’s elliptical interior for cultivation and gathering

The Mushroom Pavilion at Casa Wabi takes the form of a simple, ellipsoidal volume, designed by the architects at OMA to support the internal organization required for mushroom cultivation. Within its domed interior, the plan divides into three functional chambers dedicated to fruiting, incubation, and storage. These rooms form a ring around a central gathering area that occupies the middle of the pavilion.

The lower portion of the structure steps inward, forming a circular amphitheater. These terraces function as shelving for handmade terracotta pots used in the cultivation process. Crafted by local artisans, the vessels line the stepped surfaces, creating a continuous display of the growing mushrooms. The arrangement produces a panopticon-like experience where the entire cultivation process remains visible from multiple vantage points within the space.

casa wabi mushroom pavilion
the Mushroom Pavilion opens at Casa Wabi as OMA’s first built project in Mexico

a pavilion with views toward the ocean

Light enters Casa Wabi’s Mushroom Pavilion through an oculus at the center of the roof, allowing daylight to wash across the curved interior surfaces. The opening introduces a shifting pattern of illumination that moves through the chamber as the day progresses. Around the base of the structure, smaller openings allow cross ventilation, supporting the environmental conditions required for growing mushrooms while maintaining a comfortable interior atmosphere.

At the upper level, a platform and portal align with views toward the Pacific beyond the surrounding brush. From this vantage point, visitors move from the enclosed interior to an elevated outlook across the coastal landscape. The experience shifts from the quiet enclosure of cultivation to the open horizon beyond the site.

casa wabi mushroom pavilion
the pavilion is part of Fundación Casa Wabi, the art space founded by artist Bosco Sodi

a concrete form with burlap texture

The pavilion’s structure is formed from a poured-in-place concrete shell that curves inward near the base. This geometry reduces the building’s footprint and limits its contact with the ground, allowing surrounding vegetation to continue growing around the structure. A native guayacan tree remains within the immediate landscape, reflecting the intention to preserve the natural terrain of Casa Wabi.

The exterior surface carries the imprint of burlap pressed into the wet concrete during construction. The texture captures water with high iron content from the site, gradually staining the building over time. Exposure to the coastal climate will continue to alter the surface, giving the pavilion a changing appearance as it ages.

‘The result is an incubator of both food and community that’s spatially fit to support all types of activities for the locals, visitors, and the foundation,‘ Shohei Shigematsu continues. ‘As a Japanese architect, it was especially meaningful to contribute an art campus guided by Japanese philosophy and spatial traditions.‘

casa wabi mushroom pavilion
an elliptical concrete structure encloses spaces dedicated to mushroom cultivation