Architects: Nutum Estudio
Area: 170 m²
Year: 2023
Photography: Manolo R. Solis
Project Team: Pablo Jose Rivero Vallado, Sarar Ferrer Inaebnit, Josep Azuara Robles
City: Mérida
Country: Mexico
Casa Ajau, a residential building designed by Nutum Estudio in Mérida, embraces traditional Mayan architectural elements and materials to honor the historical landscape of the MAYAB. Completed in 2023, the project transformed a former garage into a space for humans, plants, and fauna, incorporating features like cross ventilation, intimate patios, and traditional materials such as chukum and Tzalam.
![Casa_Ajau_Nutum_Estudio-2 Casa ajau / nutum estudio](https://www.architecturelab.net/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/CASA_AJAU_Nutum_Estudio-2.jpg)
Casa Ajau welcomes visitors with graffiti on the metal advertisement, a remnant from when the plot served as a garage. The concrete slab, initially meant for cars, was lifted to create a space for humans, plants, and fauna.
![Casa_Ajau_Nutum_Estudio-7 Casa ajau / nutum estudio](https://www.architecturelab.net/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/CASA_AJAU_Nutum_Estudio-7.jpg)
Located in between party walls on the edge of Mérida’s center, the house had to fit harmoniously with its neighbors while evoking the cultural context of the MAYAB.
![Casa_Ajau_Nutum_Estudio-11 Casa ajau / nutum estudio](https://www.architecturelab.net/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/CASA_AJAU_Nutum_Estudio-11.jpg)
Traditional materials like chukum for finishes and Tzalam for carpentry were used to reclaim and honor the historical landscape. The great arch of the Governor’s palace in Uxmal was adapted to reflect Mayan architectural styles, serving both poetic and political purposes. this adaptation aims to reclaim forgotten forms without erasing the colonial artistic past.
![Casa Ajau / Nutum Estudio 1 Casa ajau / nutum estudio](https://www.architecturelab.net/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/CASA_AJAU_Nutum_Estudio-15.jpg)
![Casa Ajau / Nutum Estudio 2 Casa ajau / nutum estudio](https://www.architecturelab.net/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/CASA_AJAU_Nutum_Estudio-16.jpg)
![Casa Ajau / Nutum Estudio 3 Casa ajau / nutum estudio](https://www.architecturelab.net/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/Casa_Ajau_plantas_arquitect_nicas.jpg)
The narrow, long plot led to the house being divided into three volumes with four patios in between, allowing cross ventilation and a sense of continuous growth. The first two volumes contain the common areas. The kitchen/dining room opens onto a patio with a pool, and the second volume, within the large arch, serves as a saloon.
![Casa Ajau / Nutum Estudio 4 Casa ajau / nutum estudio](https://www.architecturelab.net/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/CASA_AJAU_Nutum_Estudio-23.jpg)
![Casa Ajau / Nutum Estudio 5 Casa ajau / nutum estudio](https://www.architecturelab.net/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/CASA_AJAU_Nutum_Estudio-22.jpg)
This space can transform into a cinema with a projector, catering to modern social activities like series marathons.
![Casa_Ajau_Nutum_Estudio-13 Casa ajau / nutum estudio](https://www.architecturelab.net/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/CASA_AJAU_Nutum_Estudio-13.jpg)
The rooms are located in the most intimate part of the house, at the bottom of the plot and on the upper floor, facing patios filled with yellow flowers from the planted jabin trees. vegetation acts as an architectural element, providing privacy and protection from the tropical sun.
![Casa_Ajau_Nutum_Estudio-26 Casa ajau / nutum estudio](https://www.architecturelab.net/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/CASA_AJAU_Nutum_Estudio-26.jpg)
Project Gallery
![Casa Ajau / Nutum Estudio 6 Casa ajau / nutum estudio](https://www.architecturelab.net/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/casa-ajau-nutum-estudio_18-500x500.jpg)
![Casa Ajau / Nutum Estudio 7 Casa ajau / nutum estudio](https://www.architecturelab.net/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/CASA_AJAU_Nutum_Estudio-26-500x500.jpg)
![Casa Ajau / Nutum Estudio 8 Casa ajau / nutum estudio](https://www.architecturelab.net/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/CASA_AJAU_Nutum_Estudio-23-500x500.jpg)
![Casa Ajau / Nutum Estudio 9 Casa ajau / nutum estudio](https://www.architecturelab.net/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/CASA_AJAU_Nutum_Estudio-22-500x500.jpg)
![Casa Ajau / Nutum Estudio 10 Casa ajau / nutum estudio](https://www.architecturelab.net/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/CASA_AJAU_Nutum_Estudio-21-500x500.jpg)
![Casa Ajau / Nutum Estudio 11 Casa ajau / nutum estudio](https://www.architecturelab.net/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/CASA_AJAU_Nutum_Estudio-17-500x500.jpg)
![Casa Ajau / Nutum Estudio 12 Casa ajau / nutum estudio](https://www.architecturelab.net/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/CASA_AJAU_Nutum_Estudio-16-500x500.jpg)
![Casa Ajau / Nutum Estudio 13 Casa ajau / nutum estudio](https://www.architecturelab.net/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/CASA_AJAU_Nutum_Estudio-15-500x500.jpg)
![Casa Ajau / Nutum Estudio 14 Casa ajau / nutum estudio](https://www.architecturelab.net/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/CASA_AJAU_Nutum_Estudio-14-500x500.jpg)
![Casa Ajau / Nutum Estudio 15 Casa ajau / nutum estudio](https://www.architecturelab.net/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/CASA_AJAU_Nutum_Estudio-13-500x500.jpg)
![Casa Ajau / Nutum Estudio 16 Casa ajau / nutum estudio](https://www.architecturelab.net/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/CASA_AJAU_Nutum_Estudio-12-500x500.jpg)
![Casa Ajau / Nutum Estudio 17 Casa ajau / nutum estudio](https://www.architecturelab.net/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/CASA_AJAU_Nutum_Estudio-11-500x500.jpg)
![Casa Ajau / Nutum Estudio 18 Casa ajau / nutum estudio](https://www.architecturelab.net/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/CASA_AJAU_Nutum_Estudio-8-500x500.jpg)
![Casa Ajau / Nutum Estudio 19 Casa ajau / nutum estudio](https://www.architecturelab.net/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/CASA_AJAU_Nutum_Estudio-7-500x500.jpg)
![Casa Ajau / Nutum Estudio 20 Casa ajau / nutum estudio](https://www.architecturelab.net/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/CASA_AJAU_Nutum_Estudio-6-500x500.jpg)
![Casa Ajau / Nutum Estudio 21 Casa ajau / nutum estudio](https://www.architecturelab.net/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/CASA_AJAU_Nutum_Estudio-5-500x500.jpg)
![Casa Ajau / Nutum Estudio 22 Casa ajau / nutum estudio](https://www.architecturelab.net/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/CASA_AJAU_Nutum_Estudio-3-500x500.jpg)
![Casa Ajau / Nutum Estudio 23 Casa ajau / nutum estudio](https://www.architecturelab.net/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/CASA_AJAU_Nutum_Estudio-2-500x500.jpg)
![Casa Ajau / Nutum Estudio 24 Casa ajau / nutum estudio](https://www.architecturelab.net/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/Casa_Ajau_plantas_arquitect_nicas-500x500.jpg)
![Casa Ajau / Nutum Estudio 25 Casa ajau / nutum estudio](https://www.architecturelab.net/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/seccion_transversal_piedritas-500x500.jpg)
![Casa Ajau / Nutum Estudio 26 Casa ajau / nutum estudio](https://www.architecturelab.net/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/secci_npiedritas-500x486.jpg)
Project Location
Address: Mérida, Yukatan, Mexico
Location is for general reference and may represent a city or country, not necessarily a precise address.