A few blocks from the "Plaza Grande" and "Parque de San Juan" in the iconic historic center of Merida, Yucatan, is located this architectural restoration that lies on the ruins of an abandoned colonial house, dated to the end of the 19th century.
Casa Lohr explores the relationship between the traditional and the contemporary, taking advantage of pre- existing elements that demand the use of raw materials.
In order to meet the space requirements, it was necessary to lay down the architectural program according to the current conditions of the house.
Upon entering, the guiding axis of the project becomes perceptible and allows the visualization of the different historical stages of the property, through a series of vains that frame each space.
The original halls hold the main lobby, secondary bedroom and open area with the living room, dining room and kitchen.
The roofed terrace houses the heart of the project: a wall in ruins that articulates its visuals towards the central patio with a pool and a terrace, suggesting that time does the task of evolving a space and exposing its passage, regardless of the conditions to which it exposes the elements.
The main room is located to the back with semicircular arches on its façade, which refer to the existing arches on the original bays. A contained patio and an outdoor Jacuzzi crown the end of the property and invites to the practice of meditation and contact with nature within its different uses.
The crudeness in the materiality is shown through fine patchwork, burnished white cement, stone walls extracted from the site, pasta tile floors and a ceiling based on apparent joists and voussoirs that expose the construction method, while accompanying each other in various spaces of the project.
Casa Lohr is the perfect example of architectural recovery after an undefined period of abandonment, redefining the “concept of time” to deduce its impact on existing elements and to exalt those who have come to become the statement.
