design magazine

In the Mexican countryside of Yucatan, the number of ruined and abandoned buildings remains as a testament to the ever changing economic environment of the country. The late 1800s and the early 1900s saw a golden age in the production of sisal fibre in the area, the era in which the Bacoc Hacienda was originally built. However, all good things must come to an end and the structure became a farmhouse for several years before being left to fall into ruins, which is how the present owner found and purchased it in 2007. Just a couple of years later, there arose an opportunity for the practice of  Reyes Rios and Larrain Arquitectos to undertake a renovation project with a marked difference.

Instead of following the conventional custom of demolishing and recycling any masonry from the pre-existing structure into the newly designed one, the architects, who have accumulated a tremendous amount of experience in renovation projects of this type, reached the decision to strengthen the ruins and allow them to remain as a visual link between the old and the new. As a central theme, the ruins act as a focus of the surroundings, on one side the pool and the other the brand new structure.

The newly created hacienda strongly resembles the traditional architecture of the Yucatan as interpreted in a contemporary form. The 429 sq.m. space constructed of concrete and the red earth of the region, is a familiar sight. The structural details, height and windows of the interior, mirror the dimensions of the old hacienda, preserving the heritage of the area’s past glory.