The Asylum

Arkham Projects

Short description

The Asylum, an oasis in the middle of the city of Mérida, Yucatán. A collaborative project wrapped by natural sounds and settings, with visual highlights that move with the wind, blocking contemporary distractions of city life. The project was designed under two parameters main: the first, unwrapping the program little by little, generating spatial and visual surprises for the guest when entering the project, and the second, to be a showcase to enjoy nature from arrival, throughout the stay, and until saying goodbye to the project. The main user is team, therefore, leaving behind the chaos of the city and the views towards nature were key to the time to design the same; feel that the office is in the middle of the Yucatecan jungle, in a space contemplative, and not in the middle of a city. Natural light plays an important role in the project, since that being the same oriented east-west, lighting is the protagonist during the morning in the main facade; a simple facade, on one level, respectful of pedestrians. The trees near the access and the sun, paint the face of the project with shadows, giving it a changing character during the year, because the shadows vary in shape, size and location, turning The Asylum into a canvas
where nature is present in the form of a calendar. The same thing happens in the main corridor, the which is not roofed, but protected by a large flamboyant tree that is located to the south of the property, on neighboring land; in autumn and winter, the tree paints the whole space with its shadows, in addition to protecting the user from natural agents throughout the year.