lagalá, a contemporary cultural hub by fmt studio in merida, mexico

located in a renovated building in downtown merida, mexico, ‘lagalá’ is a cultural hub that proposes the fusion between fashion, business, and art into a common space. developed by fmt studio, interior design and architecture merge to deliver a cohesive aesthetic concept amongst the multiple functions of the building, regardless of their eclectic nature.

fmt’s project consists of a series of interventions in the existing rooms to ensure a diverse experience — boutique, café, three art galleries, conference room, and open terrace. management and storage areas had to be included in the existing plot in order to give support to the aforementioned services. this ‘new contemporary’ building expresses itself in a clean volume in order to remain ‘quiet’ to the presence of the original one.

each room in lagalá maintains its own set of colors and materials: natural wood, terrazo finishes, contemporary ironworks, and polished concrete. the original constructive materials and techniques were also considered in the overall concept. the designers decided to expose them and reveal the history as they were covered behind a layer of tyrol concrete. the contemporary materials were superimposed against the original ones to créate a unique eclectic experience. the arch was chosen as the predominant shape to help integrate all of the different spaces and furniture pieces into one common expressive language.

designboom has received this project from our ‘DIY submissions‘ feature, where we welcome our readers to submit their own work for publication. see more project submissions from our readers here.

edited by: maria erman | designboom