Architect Paolo Sarra and studio Punto Arquitectónico have transformed a historic residence in southern Mexico into a bed and breakfast filled with regional materials such as chukum and palm.
The Refugio Bajo Las Hojas ? or Shelter Under the Leaves ? is located in Campeche City, which is deemed a World Heritage Site due to its colonial-era architecture. The city lies along the Gulf of Mexico.
The Refugio Bajo Las Hojas is a Mexican hotel
The 220-square-metre hotel is found in the historic Guadalupe neighbourhood. The project involved transforming a family home into a bed and breakfast for both local and out-of-town visitors.
The project was designed by Mexico City architect Paolo Sarra and the firm Punto Arquitectónico, based in the city of Mérida. Neutral chukum, wood and palm define the project
"The design premise was to generate versatile, coexistence spaces and to create an identity for the project through its materiality," the team said.
Occupying a long parcel that is just five metres wide, the hotel is composed of four volumes and interstitial open spaces. The layout was guided by the shape of the lot as well as local regulations that required the original circulation scheme to be preserved.
A reception area greets visitors
"The order of these volumes follows a traditional sequence of a residence," the architects said.
A reception area is found in the front, street-facing volume. Here, visitors encounter their first look at the project's materi...