Gantous Arquitectos, founded in 1992 by Christian and Claudio Gantous, has made a name for the studio's string of sophisticated, unmistakable contemporary private homes across Mexico. Now, the low and elegant forms of Casa Kem represent the latest completed project to join their ever-growing residential portfolio. On the outskirts of the Yucatán capital, this Mérida house – designed for a family of five – is part of an exclusive residential development within the Yucatán Country Club (YCC), which features one of the best golf courses in Mexico, designed by Jack Nicklaus.
‘The client, a high-profile property developer, was also the mastermind behind the creation of the YCC. Over the last ten years, his company, Inmobilia, has hired our firm to design a variety of projects,’ Christian Gantous says of the seamless client-architect collaboration in this project.
A couple of key factors helped determine the final design, namely the region’s hot weather (which inspired the cantilevers that protect openings from the sun), and the plot’s size and orientation, which offered long, expansive views of the golf course and nature around it. As a result, the architects placed the home in a linear arrangement, along the top of the site. The slightly offset open-air garage creates a gentle L-shape in plan.
Inside, the rooms are flowing and with the glazing pulled back, the interior easily becomes at one with nature. ‘We wanted to make the house as transparent as possible so as to maximise views on both sides. The great room was designed as a flexible indoor/outdoor space, with large sliding windows along both façades which disappear within pocket walls,' say the architects.
The 1,000 sq m house features exposed white concrete, used in combination with a light green-grey Italian marble. Both materials were chosen for being hardwearing and functional – the marble, especially, offering various finishes, suitable for both indoors and outdoor use.
Making the most of the site’s angle, the team dug down and placed all the technical systems underground, leaving the structure’s roof terrace free to be used as another option for alfresco dining, relaxing or entertaining. This way, Gantous says, the residents can ‘take in the stunning sunsets that the Yucatán Peninsula is famous for’.
INFORMATION
-
Highlights from the transporting Cruise 2026 showsThe Cruise 2026 season began yesterday with a Chanel show at Lake Como, heralding the start of a series of jet-setting, destination runway shows from fashion’s biggest houses
-
Behind the design of national pavilions in Venice: three studios to knowDesigning the British, Swiss and Mexican national pavilions at the Venice Architecture Biennale 2025 are three outstanding studios to know before you go
-
Premium patisserie Naya is Mayfair’s latest sweet spotHeritage meets opulence at Naya bakery in Mayfair, London. With interiors by India Hicks and Anna Goulandris, the patisserie looks good enough to eat
-
Pedro y Juana's take on architecture: 'We want to level the playing field’Mexico City-based architects Pedro y Juana bring their transdisciplinary, participatory approach to the Mexico pavilion at the Venice Architecture Biennale 2025; find out more
-
Tour the wonderful homes of ‘Casa Mexicana’, an ode to residential architecture in Mexico‘Casa Mexicana’ is a new book celebrating the country’s residential architecture, highlighting its influence across the world
-
A barrel vault rooftop adds drama to these homes in Mexico CityExplore Mariano Azuela 194, a housing project by Bloqe Arquitetura, which celebrates Mexico City's Santa Maria la Ribera neighbourhood
-
Explore a minimalist, non-religious ceremony space in the Baja California DesertSpiritual Enclosure, a minimalist, non-religious ceremony space designed by Ruben Valdez in Mexico's Baja California Desert, offers flexibility and calm
-
La Cuadra: Luis Barragán’s Mexico modernist icon enters a new chapterLa Cuadra San Cristóbal by Luis Barragán is reborn through a Fundación Fernando Romero initiative in Mexico City; we meet with the foundation's founder, architect and design curator Fernando Romero to discuss the plans
-
Enjoy whale watching from this east coast villa in Mexico, a contemporary oceanside gemEast coast villa Casa Tupika in Riviera Nayarit, Mexico, is designed by architecture studios BLANCASMORAN and Rzero to be in harmony with its coastal and tropical context
-
Mexico's long-lived football club Atlas FC unveils its new groundsSordo Madaleno designs a new home for Atlas FC; welcome to Academia Atlas, including six professional football fields, clubhouses, applied sport science facilities and administrative offices
-
Discover Casa Roja, a red spatial exploration of a house in MexicoCasa Roja, a red house in Mexico by architect Angel Garcia, is a spatial exploration of indoor and outdoor relationships with a deeply site-specific approach
