Two examples of great architecture in Merida have made Dezeen’s Top 10 Mexican projects list for 2018.
And because one of the projects was a huge collaboration, the list takes into the account the work of five local firms.
Portico Palmeto by TACO is one. The “homey and unconventional” pink studio and office, unveiled earlier this year, is TACO’s own headquarters.
Taking visual cues from the Yucatan jungle, the building’s stuccoed walls are tinted pink with earth from the site. Its folding bamboo panels were sourced locally.
Existing palm trees were incorporated into the building, stretching through circular holes in the roof.
“The objective was to develop a way of living in a natural and social environment, and at the same time of being a functional, versatile and inspiring building for the activities that would be developed in it,” said TACO, which is headquartered near the plant nursery Vivero Cholul.
Also on the list was the Music Palace, a modern museum devoted to Mexican trova. Its modern lines contrast with one of Merida’s oldest churches next door.
In fact, the architects made a point to contrast with the Church of the Third Order, which dates to the 1600s.
The collaboration by five local firms — Alejandro Medina Arquitectura, Reyes Rios Larrain Arquitectos, Muñoz Arquitectos and Quesnel — has been widely praised.
Wavy, black steel ribs flank the Patio of Strings at the Palacio de la Musica, while the rest of the walls comprise local limestone peppered with colorful glass windows.
The cultural center was commissioned by Yucatán’s state ministry of culture to help revitalize the city’s Centro Historico.
Inside it hosts a concert hall, a museum and a library.
Dezeen is a London-based news site that covers interior design and architecture internationally.
