“Casa Merida is a wonderful example of the combination of modern and traditional architecture. This house is located in Mexico City, which was the hub of Mayan culture. Let’s see how architect Ludwig Godefroy created this beautiful house design and how he blended both the cultures to create this fabulous architecture.”
Casa Merida
- Project: Merida House
- Location: Merida, Mexico
- Architects: Ludwig Godefroy Architecture
- Area: 2,690 Square Feet
- Year: 2018
The project “Casa Merida” is situated in the center of Merida, which is just a few feet away from its main colonial area. This place carries a lot of history. You’ll be amazed to know that Merida is not only the capital of Yucatan but also the capital of the Mayan culture.
You already know that Mayan is one of the greatest cultures in the world. From the megalithic pyramids to the sculptures, everything is stunning in Mayan. Because of the location of this land, the homeowners wanted a house that has both elements, Mayan and modern. So, the main aim of the architects was to build a home that perfectly reflects the Mayan history and as well as the present time. But how is this even possible? How could a house be Mayan or modern both?
House Style and Floor Plan
To complete the wish of the homeowners, architects tried to combine contemporary architecture with traditional. And they also got very well succeeded in that. As a result, this beautiful house is built with a simple use of vernacular elements. The most amazing thing done by Ludwig Godefroy is the proportions of the plot. He brilliantly used the 80 x 8 meters wide meters rectangle piece of land as a straight line. The motive behind this idea was that he just wanted to preserve the rectangular area.
So here’s how the floor plan looks:
From the entrance to the last thing in the house, i.e., the swimming pool, everything is kept in a straight manner. Also, the architects kept in mind the airflow system of the house. But it is not just one air circulation in the house, but there are also many more because, from the Mayan antic culture and architecture point of view, it is important.
Let’s Know About the Exteriors
The Merida house is constructed in an area about 2,690 Square Feet or 250.0 square meters. The whole residence is covered with the beautiful vernacular architecture elements. But after tackling the house plan, the next question for the architects was how to build this house self-sufficient, which means that without being much dependent on modern technologies? Which is, by the way, is very tough as this house is in the middle of the city, which makes it even more challenging to utilize natural resources and save energy.
So in order to achieve that, they plan to disconnect the house from the city. Basically, they create an isolated countryside situation in the middle of the town to get better control over it. For that, they modified the layout a little bit by switching the social area with the backyard area. This means the living area and kitchen area are at the end of the house, which provides quietness and tranquillity in the environment.
Flawless Interiors of the Merida House
To create a permutation between the front and back areas, the layout is organize in the rhythm of a positive build area and negative empty area. Which simply means generating empty spaces on both sides of the house. The outdoor areas are very well integrate with the inner space, vanishing the border of in and out. Because of creating this kind of rhythm, there is an increment in the visual depth, which later forms a more generous amplitude sensation of the volumes. There is also a garden in the residence which captures the classical scheme of the house.
Disconnected From the City
The casa Merida house is partially disconnect from the city. To electrically cut the house from the city area, various technologies were used, such as solar panels to generate electricity and solar boilers to warm the water.
There is also a water regeneration system in the house. First, the rainwater is collect and goes to the subsoil. There are various sculptural water collectors construct in the residence, which look aesthetically pleasing to the eyes. There is also no water waste connection in the home, and the dirty water is first treat with a biodigester and then it goes into the garden.
How is it connected to the Mayan culture?
Now the main question is that is it genuinely connect to the Mayan culture? Did the architects success in doing this? Yes, they successfully achieved the whole traditional culture with modern vibes. For that, they didn’t decorate the place with unnecessary finishings and decorations. Because this way, it can preserve the structural part with simple materials.
The incredible Mayan cream stone was use to build the structure. The stone splitters, which is a typical stone from Yucatán that was use in the construction of the antic Mayan pyramids, and temples sites. The same splitters were use here to cover the joints in a traditional way. Brut Cement was use to build the walls and floors of the house. It is the main structural material produce in Merida.
To create a light atmosphere all around the house, massive wooden louver windows and doors are build. Do you know that around 90% of the construction was done on the site? Yes, the Yucatec carpenters and workers used the local materials to build all the pieces. They used this local material because massive materials do not require special treatments. And also the maintenance is very low and as the days will pass, the walls will be cover in a new coat of materiality: which is know as Patina.
Live In Luxury and Peace
So how do you feel about living in this kind of contemporary house? Definitely, the architects did an excellent job of bringing the Mayan culture to it in a very graceful way. You can also include your local, regional items and building materials in your house to create a modern home with a traditional touch.
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