Casa Relo is an inspiring detached house in Mérida, Yucatán, Mexico, designed by Arkham Projects. Casa RELO is a reflection on the meaning of intimacy, a dialogue between privacy and curiosity.
It's an introspective home, there's not much to do on the outside, but when you walk in, you'll discover its essence. Solid and transparent at the same time, the patio inside brings life to the space.
The first is the outdoor terrace, the protagonist of which is a huge álamo tree that reveals part of the leaves from the street, and its presence imposes on this space; it can be accessed from the outside door or from the corridor that connects the garage to the interior hall. It is important to invite users to walk through this space every day, which filters out private social life, on the other hand, using the main door of the residence in daily affairs, rather than the service door.
The second terrace is located in the center of the house and becomes the center of the entire project. On the ground floor, it separates the service area from the social area, while on the upper floor it separates the TV room, guest room from the main room and children's room. On these two floors, in addition to providing views of green spaces, cross ventilation and natural lighting can be generated throughout the day.
Inside the building, on the upper floor, there is a star-shaped bridge that interacts with plant leaves in an unusual way; the staircase arises because the social area on the first floor is half high, while the service area is only one height, so that the height of the main room and the children's room is higher than that of the TV room, which is where the bridge was born.
The rear façade, like the main façade, is a large solid mass, however, by subtracting a large white element, the terrace roof has a great height and spatial feel to the game due to the tilt of the elements. There are three elements, and from the inside, they look like headlights, filling the illuminated space, but from the back they are seen as sloping boxes that somehow fight against gravity.
Casa RELO is a contrast, a surprise, it is a low-key house on the outside and a very expressive interior, a house full of emotions connected with nature.
Photo by Manolo Solis/ César Béjar
Design: Arkham Projects