FORMM Is Quietly Rewiring How Architecture, Construction and Waterproofing Work in Mérida

In the middle of Mérida's real estate boom, where glossy renders multiply faster than infrastructure, one firm is taking an unusually systemic approach to architecture. FORMM is not positioning itself just as an "architecture office" or a "construction company," but as something much more uncomfortable for the traditional market: a vertically integrated design, construction and materials ecosystem.

In a region where most buildings age badly under relentless humidity, FORMM has decided to tackle the problem from every angle at once: how projects are conceived, how they are built and what materials protect them from the climate of the Yucatán Peninsula.

Instead of accepting the usual fragmentation of the real estate supply chain, the firm is betting on a simple but radical idea: architecture, construction and waterproofing should all obey the same design philosophy.

A Region in Boom, Built on a Fragmented System

Mérida and the wider Yucatán Peninsula are in fashion. National and foreign investors have turned their eyes to the region, seduced by its relative safety, cultural value and growth potential. New residential neighborhoods, mixed-use projects and tourist developments are appearing everywhere.
Behind the marketing, though, the same old operational structure persists:
• One firm designs the project.
• Another company builds it.
• Materials are chosen late, often by price and availability, not long-term performance.
• Nobody claims true responsibility for the building's behavior five or ten years later.
The result is predictable: cost overruns, misalignment between render and reality, and recurring pathologies caused by humidity, especially in roofs, basements, cisterns, pools and retaining walls.

FORMM's existence is, in many ways, a reaction to this pattern.

FORMM's Core Idea: One Philosophy, Three Fronts

From the outside, FORMM looks like a cluster of related businesses. In practice, it operates as a single organism built around a central principle: spaces must be designed, executed and protected as one continuous process.
That process spans three fronts:

1. Architecture & design (https://www.formm.mx/work)
2. Construction & on-site execution (https://www.formm.mx/formm-construction-company)
3. Waterproofing & specialized materials (https://www.formm.mx/formm-materials)

Where many firms see separate services, FORMM treats them as interlocked responsibilities. Their argument is blunt: if the architect doesn't understand how the building will be built or how it will resist humidity, the drawing is incomplete. If the builder ignores the design intent, the architecture fails. If nobody designs the waterproofing, the building will literally absorb the consequences.

Experiential Architecture Grounded in Local Reality

At the conceptual level, FORMM's work revolves around experiential architecture. The firm prioritizes how spaces feel, flow and perform in real life, instead of obsessing over form alone.

In the context of Mérida and the Yucatán Peninsula, that philosophy translates into a series of technical and strategic choices:

Orientation and climate strategy

Projects are not just placed on a lot; they are oriented to reduce heat gain, maximize cross-ventilation and take advantage of shade instead of fighting the sun with overpowered air conditioning systems.

Envelope and detailing

The building's skin is treated as a system: walls, roofs, joints and apertures are designed to manage humidity, not merely "receive finishes." For a region with high rainfall, intense UV and constant moisture, this is not aesthetic refinement; it is survival.

Material coherence

From the beginning, FORMM considers what the structure will be built with, how it will age and what maintenance cycles it will demand. The choice of materials is tied to both experience and durability, not just short-term cost.

This combination of design sensitivity and climate realism is part of what makes FORMM stand out among architecture firms in Mérida.

Breaking the Supply Chain: Design and Construction in Constant Dialogue
The most disruptive aspect of FORMM's model is not stylistic; it is operational.
In the conventional model, architects deliver drawings, contractors interpret them, and everyone negotiates through RFIs, change orders and diluted responsibility. FORMM's response has been to integrate architecture and construction under the same umbrella, so that the back-and-forth happens internally rather than through conflict.

Design that speaks the language of construction

Because FORMM designs and builds, its architecture team is forced to think in terms of:
• Realistic quantities and costs
• Local labor capabilities
• Construction phasing and logistics
• Technical feasibility under local codes and site conditions

This does not eliminate ambition; it channels it into what can actually be done within a project's economic and temporal constraints.

Construction that respects design intent

On the other side, FORMM's construction arm is not simply "executing plans." It operates with a clear understanding of the experiential goals of each project:
• Why that patio matters.
• Why that courtyard needs light a certain way.
• Why a façade proportion can't be casually altered.

The result is a rare alignment: value engineering doesn't automatically turn into "destroy the concept." Instead, adjustments are debated under a shared philosophy, not against it.

Technology as a Backbone, Not a Buzzword

It is easy for firms to drop terms like BIM or generative design in presentations. FORMM, however, has woven digital tools into its everyday decision-making process.

• BIM and coordination
Projects are coordinated in 3D to reduce clashes between architecture, structure and MEP before they reach the site. This protects both timelines and budgets.
• Parametric and generative tools
Layouts, façade systems and structural logics can be tested iteratively, helping find balanced solutions between aesthetic intent, cost efficiency and climate performance.
• Data feedback from construction

Because design and building are integrated, lessons from the site feed back into the design process: what details work better in the Yucatán climate, which systems age better, where installers struggle and how to standardize best practices.
For investors, this means that digital models are not aesthetic decoration, but risk management tools.

Waterproofing: The Unsexy Topic FORMM Decided to Treat as Strategic

In the Yucatán Peninsula, humidity is not an abstract concept. It is on every surface, in every fissure, and in every complaint from owners who discover infiltrations after the first rainy season. The majority of serious building problems in the region are directly or indirectly tied to water: filtration, capillary rise, vapor, negative pressure in basements, failures in roofs and terraces.

Most projects address this as a line item near the end of the budget: "Waterproofing: to be defined." FORMM chose the opposite approach.
A dedicated materials and waterproofing branch

The firm has built a specialized division focused on waterproof concrete and high-performance waterproofing systems tuned to the peninsula's conditions. Through this branch, FORMM:

• Specifies integral waterproofing additives for concrete, so protection starts inside the material, not only on the surface.
• Designs combinations of cementitious coatings, membranes and sealants selected for local soil conditions, salinity and humidity.
• Establishes detailing standards around the classic weak points: joints, slab-wall transitions, planters, pools, water features, buried walls and roofs.
This is a significant departure from the traditional model where the contractor "picks something" last minute based on what is in stock.

Waterproofing as an asset protection mechanism

By incorporating waterproofing decisions into the early design phase, FORMM reframes them as part of the investment logic:
• Fewer future repairs and lower maintenance bills.
• Less risk of structural damage associated with prolonged moisture exposure.
• Longer lifespan for finishes and visible elements that define the project's experience.

In a market increasingly filled with foreign investors and long-term rental models, this matters. A building that leaks will not only cost more in repairs; it will also damage brand perception and occupancy.

What This Means for Real Estate Developers in Mérida and the Yucatán Peninsula
From the standpoint of a developer, FORMM's integrated model offers several practical advantages that go beyond aesthetics:

1. A single strategic counterpart
Instead of juggling architect, contractor and material suppliers, the investor can work with one ecosystem accountable for the entire chain: concept, execution and performance.
2. More predictable budgets and schedules
With design and construction in conversation from the first stages, the usual spirals of "cost surprises" are reduced. Assumptions about systems and finishes are clarified earlier.
3. Projects that are truly adapted to local conditions
Climate, humidity, soil and construction culture in Yucatán are not generic. FORMM's model treats them as design constraints, not post-facto problems.
4. Alignment between render, built reality and long-term behavior
Many developments look spectacular in images and far less convincing after a few rainy seasons. FORMM's insistence on integrating waterproofing and materials from the beginning is a direct response to that mismatch.
5. A clearer value story for end buyers and tenants
For foreign investors, expats and local buyers, being able to explain that the project was designed, built and protected under a unified philosophy is a competitive advantage in itself.

A Different Kind of Player in Mérida's Architecture Scene

In a market saturated with showy visuals and short attention spans, FORMM's proposal is unexpectedly sober: connect everything that should have been connected all along.

Architecture that understands construction.

Construction that understands design intent.

Materials and waterproofing that understand the climate of the Yucatán Peninsula.

It is not the easiest way to work, and it certainly isn't the fastest way to sell. But as the region matures and investors become more demanding, the value of integrated, climate-conscious and performance-driven architecture will only grow.
Anyone watching the evolution of real estate development in Mérida over the next decade will likely see a clear pattern: projects that took the climate and the full supply chain seriously will age better, perform better and retain more value. FORMM is deliberately positioning itself on that side of the equation.
In a city where too many buildings look good only long enough to sell, that alone is a quiet disruption.

FORMM CREATIVE GROUP
Calle 1B #325A Col. Campestre, Merida Yucatan.
+529994924356 Material/Technical , +529991783564 Design/Build
@formmcreative on ig, tiktok & linkedin

FORMM is reshaping architecture and real estate development in Mérida and the Yucatán Peninsula by integrating design, construction and waterproofing materials into one philosophy, solving chronic humidity issues and streamlining the supply chain for serious investors.

This release was published on openPR.