Architects: TACO Taller de Arquitectura Contextual
Area: 330 m² (3,552 ft²)
Year: 2022
Photography: Fabián Martínez, Jasson Rodríguez
Manufacturers: URREA, Cemex, Predeco, STEVEZ, Tecnolite
Team: Carlos Patrón Ibarra, Alejandro Patrón Sansor, Ana Patrón Ibarra, Karla Gómez Luna, Blanca Cruz.
Builder: TACO Taller de Arquitectura Contextual
Structural Engineering: Emmanuel Solís
Site Area: 70,000 m² (753,474 ft²)
City: Seyé
Country: Mexico
Galopina Guest House designed by TACO Taller de Arquitectura Contextual in Seye, Yucatan, Mexico has transformed a former Henequen Hacienda into a unique accommodation that integrates nature and local culture through architecture. The project offers warm, unpretentious lodging where guests can connect with the environment.
Galopina is a guest house immersed in wildland that belonged to a Henequen Hacienda within the geo-hydrological Ring of Cenotes State Reserve in Yucatan. Its objective is to offer a warm, unique, and unpretentious accommodation where guests can experience nature and local culture through architecture.
The design process began with selecting the site due to its accessibility to various points of interest and connectivity with Mérida. After visiting available land, a 7-hectare square plot was chosen. During a walk through the land, the team discovered it was an old Henequén crop field from Hacienda Yabucú. Stone landmarks forming a 20×20 meter grid were identified, indicating areas for each hacienda worker.
The path along which the “truc” collected henequen leaves crosses the middle of the terrain from east to west, dividing it into north and south zones. In the center of this path, a “sascab” hill was found and chosen for the project’s location due to its spatial possibilities and distinctiveness compared to other lodgings.
The land’s 32 mecates of the grid, forming a 40×80 meter area, were cleared of weeds, preserving the trees to aid in defining the building locations. The main house, located in the southern area, includes social areas such as the kitchen, dining room, living room, terrace, the main bedroom, and service areas.
The pool was embedded in the south hill slopes, with a retaining wall leading to a bridge connecting to the north side, where guest rooms are located. Two guest rooms are embedded in the hill slopes, resembling caves, and two at the top of the hill offer panoramic landscape views. All rooms reflect the proportions of the Mayan House but with distributions adapted to their orientations.
The volumetry consists of strong geometric shapes, clearly indicating human intervention and providing shelter within the wild landscape. Simple and common-sense materials and finishes were chosen for their ability to reinforce local belonging and age gracefully.
Local techniques and materials, such as concrete floors, lime paint, burnished stucco, and stone masonry, were used throughout. The exposed slabs reveal the construction system of each space’s roof, made of joists, vaults, and reinforced concrete castings. Doors and windows combine steel with rust encapsulator, natural cedar wood, concrete lattices with mosquito netting, and clear and screen-printed glass.
Galopina, besides being a home, promotes a philosophy of sustainable living through a concept of domestic hospitality integrated with its surroundings. This project illustrates how architecture can transcend its traditional role and contribute significantly to a family’s comprehensive development.
Project Gallery
Project Location
Address: Carretera Seye – Acancéh, Supermanzana Tablaje Catastral 3096, 97570 Seyé, Yucatán, Mexico
Location is for general reference and may represent a city or country, not necessarily a precise address.
