clock menu more-arrow no yes mobile

Filed under:

Renovated courtyard house is all about indoor-outdoor living

New, 4 comments

Located in Mérida, Mexico

View of central courtyard with swimming pool that flows through a former cistern and another enclosed courtyard.
Casa Xólotl is the ultimate in indoor-outdoor living.
Photos by Tamara Uribe via Dezeen

Another home with a surprising water feature has been completed in Mexico, this time in Mérida, the capital of Yucatán. Designed by Punto Arquitectónico, the residence incorporates a courtyard pool that wends its way through some of structure’s freestanding walls, similar to this concrete concept in Oaxaca.

In Mérida, however, the project in question is a renovation of an old home in the city’s historic center, where a nondescript facade conceals an oasis beyond its walls. Arranged around three zones, the floorplan begins with a lobby and kitchen (plus a guest bedroom), then transitions into a covered outdoor living room, then an open courtyard characterized by a curving pool, creating a dynamic indoor-living program. The master suite is located at the rear of the property in a separate volume.

The outdoor space is arguably Casa Xólotl’s centerpiece. The courtyard features remnants of existing walls and a refurbished cistern—the area where a small swimming room is placed. It flows from a courtyard formed by these walls and out toward the center of the patio then into the cistern, whose entryway creates a waterfall. The pool establishes an interesting connection between interior and exterior spaces, as well as between the traditional architecture of the existing home and the new additions.

The interiors, for example, feature graphic tiling on the kitchen floor and backsplash and modern furniture that contrast with the exposed stone walls and the overall rough-hewn aspect of the original home. Take a look.

Via: Dezeen