House in Mérida is not a house that fights heat by closing itself off, it lets air find a path.
The design is organized as a long, quiet sequence, crossed by a linear upper opening that brings light from above and allows hot air to escape through the highest point.
Instead of relying only on thick walls, enclosed rooms, or air conditioning, the house works with a more precise strategy: shade, garden, screens, ventilation, and a quiet longitudinal slit that turns climate into architecture.
Living, dining, and kitchen spaces open toward a garden enclosed by stone walls, while insect-screen panels allow air to keep moving through the house without fully exposing the interior. A corridor organizes the bedrooms and ends in a framed view of the garden, keeping vegetation present even in the more internal areas.
The materiality reinforces the connection with Mérida: a limestone base anchors the house to the Yucatecan context, handcrafted pasta tiles create continuity between spaces, and recovered doors and windows bring a layer of time to the renovation.
House in Mérida does not try to create a spectacular tropical image.
It tries to answer a simpler and more important question:
How can you live better in a hot city without turning the house into a closed space against the climate?
Location: Merida, México Architects: F S D A Area: 186 m² Year: 2025 Photography: Tamara Uribe, Eduardo Loeza
This house in Merida does not fight the heat by closing itself off.
It is cut by an axis of light and air.
A linear opening follows the longitudinal direction of the house,
allowing light to enter from above and letting hot air escape through the highest point.
The result is not a house that is spectacular because of its form,
but a precise house.
Long, quiet, open to the garden,
and crossed by a slit that turns ventilation into architecture.
The most interesting thing about House in Merida is not simply a house open to a garden.
It is the way the design organizes everything in a linear sequence,
crossed by upper openings that allow light to enter and help hot air escape.
This is the key.
In a hot and humid city like Merida,
comfort does not come only from thick walls, air conditioning, or enclosed rooms.
It can come from a simpler and more precise strategy,
creating shade, allowing air circulation, and opening paths for heat to leave.
The linear slit is not a dramatic gesture, but a quiet solution.
The opening follows the direction of the house, reinforces the linearity of the path,
and transforms ventilation into part of the architecture.
Living, dining, and kitchen spaces stay in contact with the exterior,
but without losing protection.
Instead of conventional enclosures, these spaces use insect screen panels,
allowing air to keep moving through and allowing the house to remain more open during the day.
The linear organization makes the house very clear.
The spaces follow a simple sequence without excessive gestures.
A corridor distributes access to the three bedrooms and ends in a framed view of the garden.
Even in the more internal areas, vegetation remains present as a visual reference.
The materiality reinforces the relationship with Merida.
The limestone base, characteristic of Yucatan architecture, anchors the construction to the place.
The pasta tiles, handcrafted in the region,
run through the residence and create continuity between the spaces.
The recovered doors and windows bring a layer of time,
preventing the renovation from feeling completely disconnected from what already existed.
Nothing here seems to be trying to impress through excess.
The house works through adjustment.
Stone to anchor.
Handmade flooring to create continuity.
Screens to protect without blocking.
Garden to cool.
Upward openings to let hot air escape.
The interest is precisely in this combination of simple decisions.
House in Merida does not try to create a spectacular image of a tropical house.
It tries to answer a very concrete question.
How can you live better in Merida without turning the house into a closed space against the climate?
In the end, House in Merida is a house about allowing air to find a path.
A garden that cools.
Screens that protect without closing.
Stone that anchors.
A corridor that organizes.
And a linear opening that makes the house breathe upward.
It shows that living in a hot city does not have to mean isolating yourself from the outside.
Sometimes, the most important gesture is to create a simple access of shade, light,
and ventilation.
A quiet cut that crosses the house and transforms heat into architecture.
