House Eterna
House Eterna
TARA Arquitectura
ARCHITECTS
TARA Arquitectura
LEAD TEAM
Armando J. Palma, Raul A. Santos
ARCHITECT IN CHARGE
Armando J. Palma y Raul A. Santos
DESIGN TEAM
Rafael A. Che, Luis F. Ramirez
PHOTOGRAPHS
Jasson Rodriguez
AREA
380 m²
YEAR
2025
LOCATION
Mérida, México
CATEGORY
Houses, Restoration
English description provided by the architects.
ETERNA
A second beginning for a house with a soul. A story handwoven, from memory to the present.
Eterna is born from a deep desire to preserve what matters: the history contained in the walls, the roots of a family, the silent beauty of what has been built over time.
This project does not start from scratch; it begins with a house that has already lived, that has witnessed generations, and that now receives a second chance to continue being a home.
Intervening in this house was an exercise in sensitivity, not only architectural but also emotional.
It was not about demolishing and rebuilding, but about listening to what the structure had to say.
Understanding its shadows, its orientation, its original materials, and from there, proposing a new way of living that respected it.
40% of the original construction was rescued.
The rest was integrated in a handcrafted manner, caring for every detail as if weaving a unique garment.
The use of chukum, the rajuela on walls, the handwoven petatillo, and the American oak worked by skilled hands are not just aesthetic choices:
they are a way to honor the crafts, the land, and the constructive memory of the region.
Eterna does not seek to look new. It seeks to be true to itself, to its time, and to its legacy.
That is why natural light finds its way through a central garden that breathes life.
A May flower tree –
present on all levels of the house– becomes a symbol of continuity, memory, and roots.
Each space was designed for a new way of living, without renouncing its origins.
The kitchen, specially designed for the chef of the house, is not only functional but also ceremonial:
a space to share, to create, and to inhabit from enjoyment.
The jalousies, made with local adocreto, filter the sun and time with a discreet, useful, and symbolic beauty.
Eterna is that: a house that does not erase itself, that transforms.
A work with history, inhabited anew with love, care, and craftsmanship.
A project where architecture and craftsmanship meet to write, together, a new chapter.
