‘casa akúun’ harmonizes with the mexican landscape through its open facades

spanning almost seventy meters in length, the one-story volume is virtually divided by a large tree located in a semi-open patio.

ACOLECTIVA edited by jallo admin June 8, 2022 3 min

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‘casa akúun’ by arkham projects: a quest for spatial harmony

Spanning almost seventy meters in length, ‘Casa Akúun’ is a one-story private residence sited in Yucatan, Mexico. Local studio Arkham Projects, alongside GCW architects, has completed the dwelling as a simple volume spread over one level and defined by two horizontal planes: the floor and the roof.

With the intention of harmonizing interior living with the exterior landscape, the facades are left entirely open to the north and south — introducing plenty of sunlight and natural ventilation across all spaces while framing several views of nearby vegetation which provides absolute privacy for users at all times. Equally reflecting that interior-exterior harmony is a large tree species located in a semi-open patio, virtually dividing the house in half.

casa akuun is a house of almost seventy meters in length which is virtually divided by a tree of this species located in a patio that is trapped between the public and private areas of the house 2

all images © Yoshihiro Koitani

balancing between complete and selective access

Layout-wise, Arkham Projects (see more here) and GCW Architects incorporated three routes to ensure complete access from opposite ends of ‘Casa Akúun’. The first access sits on the southwest end, surrounded by vegetation and designed for day-to-day use; it welcomes owners into a green passageway that leads to the garage and private areas of the house.

The second access point is reserved for public use and can be reached from the north-eastern side. This route ends with a large Pich (Guanacaste tree) planted next to the access esplanade, the outer anteroom of the social space. ‘Although Akúun is a house that invites you to walk through it all, the separation of access points gives you the freedom to do the opposite,’ notes the architects.

casa akuun is a house of almost seventy meters in length which is virtually divided by a tree of this species located in a patio that is trapped between the public and private areas of the house 3

harmonizing interior living with the exterior landscape

'casa akúun' harmonizes with the mexican landscape through its open facades - 1

casa akuun is a house of almost seventy meters in length which is virtually divided by a tree of this species located in a patio that is trapped between the public and private areas of the house 5

the facades are left entirely open to the north and south

casa akuun is a house of almost seventy meters in length which is virtually divided by a tree of this species located in a patio that is trapped between the public and private areas of the house 6

casa akuun is a house of almost seventy meters in length which is virtually divided by a tree of this species located in a patio that is trapped between the public and private areas of the house 11

night shot, emphasizing the circulation flow

project info:

name: Casa Akúun

location: Merida, Yucatan, Mexico
architecture: Arkham Projects / GCW Architects

design team: Benjamín Peniche Calafell, Jorge Duarte Torre, Arq. GCW

structure: Cáceres Arquitectos y Asociados S.A de C.V Cemex, Millet, Mido

photography: Yoshihiro Koitani

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