PALMA transforms derelict 'san ignacio' house in mexico into a lush retreat

the renovation by PALMA

with its latest project ‘san ignacio,’ PALMA presents the renovation and addition a house located in mexico‘s state of nayarit. the client’s request was to renovate the existing building which was in very poor condition, and to construct in its place two new volumes — one that could function as a flexible space for photo shoots and different creative uses, and a second which could offer an outdoor living area that would create a direct connection with the pool.

images © luis young | @_luisyoung

the concrete ‘san ignacio’ extension

with the design of its san ignacio proposal, PALMA (see more here) undertook two main actions: the alteration of the existing house and the configuration of the central courtyard with the construction of the two new volumes.

the existing volume was extended to the limit of the lot, leading to the reorganization of the bedrooms and bathrooms while a private patio was added to the master bedroom. the team removed the sheet metal roof which generated high temperatures and leaks during the rainy season and replaced it with a concrete slab that provides greater height to the rooms and the possibility of including a series of skylights that allow more light to enter. the intervention is materially perceptible with the new slabs cast in apparent concrete.

harmonizing the architecture with the palms

PALMA’s second action in its san ignacio renovation involved the configuration of the central space, introducing a pool in the center of the lot surrounded on two sides by the volumes of the house. to achieve privacy between the pool area and the rooms, an array of narrow walls were built to harmonize with the large palm trees on the site. these walls further define a portico with a bamboo roof that floods the white walls in shadow.

the newly built volumes, one closed and the other open, serve as flexible spaces for different activities in the daily use of the house and maintain a constant relationship with the circular pool placed in the middle of both. finally, a landscape project was implemented that weaved the existing house and the extension, mainly through the use of a pavement of buried bricks that gradually seems to disappear as visitors walk from the house into the garden.