A chef brings Dubai at taste of Yucatán

Casa Abejas is in Mérida’s Centro, but discards any notion of being historical.

TACO architects were tasked with turning a small house into a combined jewelry workshop and a headquarters of a company that produces and distributes honey from Yucatecan bees.

The home’s lower level, dark and just six meters wide, was streamlined and made to lead the eye to the towering trees in the rear patio.

The challenge was to work with an existing structure with local and low-maintenance materials and finishes. Passive energy systems were a priority, as was working within a set budget.

“Our intention behind any project is to link the inhabitant with the territory,” according to a statement from the architectural team, Carlos Patrón Ibarra, Ana Patrón Ibarra, Alejandro Patrón Sansor, and Karla Gómez Luna. The firm had to consider the client’s existing furniture and art pieces in a flexible floor plan. So TACO opted for neutrality and versatility in the design.

Online: arquitecturacontextual.com

Conversation Chef Iván Puc

Far from home

Chef Iván gives Dubai a taste of Mexico

BY CARLOS ROSADO VAN DER GRACHT