Project: Zapote House
Architects: EURK buildesign
Location: Merida, Mexico
Area: 6,619 sf
Photographs by: Tamara Uribe
The Zapote House is a luxurious contemporary dwelling located in Merida, Mexico. This home was designed by EURK buildesign as an urban island in the sense of a living space that is characterized by its connection with the essential natural elements such as trees and plants. And that is something a city like Merida needs to combat the increase in ambient temperature.
We began the project with a diagnosis of the context where the area to be intervened is located within what we call “Urban Islands”, which in fact are increasingly scarce, even though they contain the characteristics that the city and the inhabitants need for their development and comfort, both in private and public spaces.
The increase in ambient temperature in the city of Mérida is increasing to alarming levels due to the lack of shade and green areas; these have been exchanged for fully covered concrete and asphalt areas, which has created an aggressively warm city for pedestrians.
“Cities within houses, not houses within cities.” Inside urban islands, the temperature is lower, the impact of the sun’s rays is controlled by natural filters and contact with nature in our daily life as a basic need. The project is addressed to the adaptation and integration of the urban context using its vegetal palette as a tool and not as a site obstacle.
Zapote, as its name says, is a project that is woven from the peculiarities of natural elements and ancient inhabitants, providers of food and shade, THE TREES. These being a mango and 6 zapotes of more than 25m height and an approximate life span of 50 years.
The project proposes a constant connection of senses with the trees; seeing, contemplating, smelling and feeling their presence as a continuous coexistence. We turned this house into a sensorial experience by identifying and embracing nature’s energy and capacities as a whole and bringing it inside the house.
The layout is proposed within a scheme already drawn by its circumstances, we placed ourselves within this imaginary layout and we made it our design axes. The materials are intended to be silent and natural, such as concrete with chukum, wood and natural stone floors.
–EURK buildesign
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