On a small former homestead in Dzityá, a municipality just outside Mérida, Mexico, architects Zaida Briceño and Orlando Franco built a home guided by one uncompromising rule: Not a single tree on the site could be felled. The resulting 1,075-square-foot residence is shaped by the existing vegetation, with two separate rectangular volumes connected by an outdoor path. Designed as both a family retreat and a statement on sustainable development, the project reflects the ethics of the couple’s firm, FMT Estudio, which they founded in 2015.

Finding the Right Land

Zaida: Before the pandemic, we were looking for available land in Mérida, but the lots there were either too narrow or noisy. The neighbors would have been right next to us, so we decided to look in Dzityá, a small town nearby. We found a section of an old solar Maya—a self-sustaining homestead—which is how people traditionally lived in these towns, growing fruits and raising animals. The lot was narrow and only a slice of what it once was, but it had more than 50 trees—and that was what mattered to us.

Orlando: We wanted to have a quieter life and to create a home with minimal intervention that was also comfortable to live in.

Trees First, House Second

Orlando: There’s this perspective here that development can only happen through destruction. They start by bulldozing the land, and when they’re finished, they bring in a tree from a forest. It was important for us to take a stance against that, even if it meant adapting how we live. Our main goal was simple—not to cut down any trees—but it wasn’t easy. The home’s dimensions would have to be constrained.

Zaida: We felt we could do a lot with what was there. Inhabiting the exterior as much as the interior went hand in hand with our philosophy as architects.

Designing Through Observation

Zaida: We didn’t begin with geometry or floor plans but with the activities that we wanted to engage in. It was a fun exercise. I made a storyboard about the things I saw Orlando doing daily, and he did the same for me. We even drew one of our cats sitting on a ledge, which helped us establish the height of the windows, so they could observe everything. And of course we did a thorough mapping of the existing vegetation.

Orlando: The trees led us to separate the construction into two modules. Then we asked ourselves: “What are the minimum dimensions needed for a bedroom, living room, and kitchen that felt comfortable and connected to the nature outside?”

Zaida: Having the common area separate from our bedroom was mainly because of the trees, but we also had this vision of an independent private area, in case one of us is busy and the other wants to rest.

Orlando: Some people questioned this choice because of the frequent rains here. But we have so many trees that the rain doesn’t fall very hard. And even if it does—what’s the big deal?

“Dzityá has lots of artisans who work with wood and stone, and we wanted the house to preserve the essence of this town.”
—Zaida Briceño, architect and resident

Simple Materials, Yucatán Traditions

Zaida: Here in Yucatán, local stones are typically used to build the entire foundation, so we followed that tradition. There’s steel in some visible structures and window frames, and the walls are made of cinder blocks.

Orlando: We also used red Ticul stone to top cement benches—inside and out—and as transition strips on the floors.

A Blooming Future

Zaida: The plan is for the house to grow with us. There are three other spaces programmed: an office, a guest or service room, and a baby’s room. [The couple are expecting their first child in July.]

Orlando: Having a baby will be a very interesting opportunity, in the sense that a person will grow up here, in this environment, cohabiting with other species and understanding that not everything is about humans, humans, humans. I think that’s very positive—and very necessary.

Project Credits:

Architect of Record: FMT Estudio / @fmt.estudio

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Also Appears In

Construction Diary: They Built Their Serene Mérida Home Without Felling a Single Tree