Ludwig Godefroy's brutalist Casa Mérida in Mexico. Concealed concrete courtyards and cool garden rooms make for a contemplative hideaway. Most of the building seems to be open to the outdoors, with few fully enclosed spaces. The project’s defining feature, though, is that it is 80m long but just 8m wide.
Mérida is a mix between contemporary city and Mayan and colonial history. Architects like Augusto Quijano have placed Mérida in an important place in the country in terms of contemporary architecture. French-born, Mexico City-based architect Ludwig Godefroy has designed a house that blends perfectly with the architectural movement. Mérida House is raw and omnipresent concrete, with all hard edges and rough surfaces under the strong Mexican sun
“This is not a house with a garden. It is a garden with a house,” explains the architect. Making the most of the region’s warm weather and taking his cues from the outdoor lifestyle of the locals, Godefroy composed a journey through a sequence of permeable spaces along the plot’s long axis, dotted with four courtyards.
