Before & After: In Merida, a Remodeled Concrete Bungalow Honors Tradition
FMT Estudio refashions a 1928 home with custom wooden windows, modern ironwork, and a serene courtyard pool.
FMT Estudio refashions a 1928 home with custom wooden windows, modern ironwork, and a serene courtyard pool.
When Catherine Schneider bought her vacation home in Reparto Dolores Patrón, a neighborhood close to central Merida in the Yucatan, Mexico, she did her research. It turns out, that hers was one of about a hundred houses built in 1928, as part of a public works initiative by the governor at the time. These concrete houses were small, about 4x8 meters, but each had their own courtyard and every two shared a wind vane to supply water. Each week, the local board conducted a lottery, and ownership of a single house was granted to the winner.
Before: Front Exterior
Catherine Schneider's house in Merida, Mexico was built in 1928 as part of a public works initiative to provide housing for the working class.
Courtesy of FMT Estudio
Nearly a century on, many of those original houses have been altered or added on to, whether to make room for garages or more living space, with some subject to complete teardown, in order to erect larger builds that crowd the lot line. Catherine's house had undergone such additions over the years, making for a disjointed interior and crumbling backyard. But she had no interest in tearing it down and starting from scratch, since the neighborhood's wide streets and charming original character were what had attracted her in the first place.
"I love this neighborhood, I've been told it's called the neighborhood of the grandparents," says Catherine, who lives primarily in Philadelphia. "We wanted to really honor the history."
After: Front Exterior
FMT Estudio lowered the front fence height to promote connection with neighbors and maintain "eyes on the street." "We didn't want it closed off and feeling like a fortress," says Catherine, noting that the custom iron and concrete design is "a more traditional fence design, but then the architects did a fun repeating pattern in the iron work."
Lorena Darquea
Catherine was relocating from the Centro, where she had admired a mixed-use building finished by local firm FMT Estudio, so she reached out to collaborate with architects Zaida Briceño Ramos and Orlando Valente Franco Carrillo on her Dolores remodel. "I grew up in a nearby area, so I have a lot of love for it," says Carrillo. "It was exciting to work with someone that understood the value of what is there, and our job was to dig it up and return it to its original essence."
Before: Front Facade
The front porch was removed in order to streamline the facade, but the home's essential volume was kept. "We were very happy and excited that the owner was really respectful of the context," says Briceño Ramos.
Courtesy of FMT Estudio
See the full story on Dwell.com: Before & After: In Merida, a Remodeled Concrete Bungalow Honors Tradition
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