Passive HouseSeignosse, France, 2021In collaboration with A6A & APDA

PILARES (which stands for Puntos de Innovación, Libertad, Arte, Educación y Saberes or Innovation, Freedom, Art, Education and Knowledge Hubs) is a project of the Mexico City Government to establish spaces for education and culture that contribute to recreation, gathering and exchange among the city’s inhabitants.

The PILARES are a series of strategically located public buildings across Mexico City, sited in areas of high levels of vulnerability and poverty.

These community-oriented spaces offer areas designed for study and learning, together with free artistic, sports and recreational activities and workshops for entrepreneurship, skills and professional development. Programs include continuing education, a robotics lab, and screenprinting, electricity, cookery, and jewelry workshops, among others.

 

Context

Mexico City covers an area of around 1,400 km2, a diverse and complex territory that is divided into 16 boroughs. It forms part of the Metropolitan Zone of the Valley of Mexico which has a population of almost 22 million inhabitants who lack spaces for education and cultural activities. The PILARES are established at strategic points in each of these boroughs, where poverty rates are high and access to education and culture is limited. The sites selected for their construction form landmarks in the urban fabric, enabling the population to identify them as community meeting centers that promote the regeneration of social life.

 

Concept

The proposal is rooted in public space: the development and activation of these hubs promotes peaceful coexistence in the communities where they are established. The basic concepts of the project are as follows.

 

Park

Public space is the physical reflection of a community’s values. In the park, exchange of these values is promoted by virtue of care and coexistence. The park has an open and fluid dynamic, so the project is understood as a park with a building, an oasis within the city where what matters most is the open space, the conservation and recognition of the existing vegetation and the experiences that are originated there.

 

Spaces

Three spatial typologies emerge: the exterior, the covered exterior -a transitional space or roofed park- and the interior. The proposal is born and lives in the intersection of these three spaces.

 

Flexibility

The architectural program is specifically designed for each location and site. Its flexibility is rooted in the identification of three different elements: the “servant” spaces for services and installations, the flexible and open space of the program and the programmers. These latter are independent, changing elements that give a particular character to the use of each space and serve to activate the project. This differentiation makes it possible to organize everything in a clear fashion, and optimize the spaces to ensure they can be used flexibly. At the same time, it leaves open the possibility for changes to the program over the lifetime of the building, allowing it to evolve and adapt freely.

 

Identity and color

The use of color in Mexican architecture is an element that has been transformed and reinterpreted in the hands of different artists and architects. Color together with the material qualities endows public buildings with character and identity, while ensuring low maintenance costs by not requiring periodic recoating.

 

Materials

The principal material selected is exposed concrete with a ridged texture on the exterior and smooth on the interior. It was chosen for its construction and structural efficiencies as well as its thermal and aesthetic qualities. In appearance the volume is simple and compact, with a strong character that confirms its role as a public building.

 

Conceptual studies

PILARES 02 Álvaro Obregón and PILARES 03 Azcapotzalco are positioned on sites with similar physical characteristics: both are located at a road intersection on corner properties with existing vegetation. The arrangement of the volumes takes into account the natural elements of the site, maintaining a number of mature trees and incorporating them visually into the buildings.

 

The dominant diagonal of the ground floor provides clear and free-flowing pedestrian routes in any direction, inviting users to walk around the park and enter the building. The diagonal walls set in the plaza serve as a curtain and transition between the exterior and interior spaces.

 

The ground floor is open with the interior space marked by a lightweight glass façade that can open outwards, expanding the park space across street level, making it accessible to pedestrians and to the whole community for use as a place of encounter and to enjoy cultural and social activities.

 

The 1.50 x 1.50 meter grid used to modulate the structure determines different zones and orders the program, freeing up the multipurpose areas and grouping services and building facilities, which are identified by yellow boxes. These run throughout the height of the building, granting visual coherence to the complex.

 

The three floors are organized into four displaced platforms that are articulated around a central void that acts as a starting point for the vertical circulations while providing natural ventilation and illumination to all parts of the building. Each independent platform is connected by means of stairways and the central elevator. A number of them are further connected by ramps that also function as multipurpose spaces; others take advantage of their independence for activities that demand purpose-built spaces.

 

The ground floor of PILARES 02 includes an access platform that also serves as both an auditorium and staircase for cultural activities. The first floor houses the continuing education rooms on two platforms, and the second floor the robotics and cookery workshops, which includes an outdoor area for growing herbs and vegetables.

The program for PILARES 03 contemplates a multipurpose lobby, continuing education classrooms on the first two floors, and screenprinting and jewelry workshops on the upper two floors.

 

The sloping roof produced by the incorporation of half-stories serves as a fifth façade, with the terrace used for the generation of energy with solar panels to store solar energy for the complex.

 

 

IUA Ignacio Urquiza Arquitectos in collaboration with WORKac (Amale Andraos & Dan Wood)

Álvaro Obregón, Mexico City, 2020

470 sqm

PILARES 02 Álvaro ObregónMexico City, 2020In collaboration with WORKac (Amale Andraos & Dan Wood)
GuaymasRoma Norte, Mexico City, 2020In progress

Under deciduous trees on the cliffs of the Pacific Coast, a cluster of architectural volumes emerges, nestling in the topography as if they were sculpted from the stone of the cliff, aspiring to go unnoticed, to alter as little as possible, and to offer a vision of something that has always been there.

Nature and architecture come into tune with each other by prioritizing the former, while making the latter excel at what it does best when it is thoughtfully handled, adapting to the site’s particularities and enhancing the perception of the pre-existing space.

This project is located on the coast of Oaxaca, one of Mexico’s richest states in terms of culture and tradition. The design introduced traditional elements not as “craft objects” but as architectural elements based on their function and practical use.

he master plan for the reserve identified a particularly attractive site, with lush and changing vegetation in an area boasting a rugged and unique topography. This situation ensures that each element of the project becomes an independent unit emerging from the reserve.

The reserve is car-free and circulation around the complex will use the same paths employed during the construction process. The design strategy prioritizes respect for the existing site and achieving the minimum environmental impact.

The aim of creating outstanding architecture that aspires to go unnoticed produces an ambiguous relationship between the natural and the man-made elements, within a continuous panorama of unspoilt natural spaces.

A thoughtful selection of simple yet honest materials enhance the beauty of the natural environment, and help to blend the architecture into its surroundings, while achieving the most with the least.

Reserva El Torón – Villas is a low-impact development, with a footprint of just 17%, and an average of 1,750 m2 of construction per hectare, assigning respect for nature a primordial value in the project development. It includes a further 6,400 m2—representing 23% of the site—of minimum intervention exterior areas, for the admiration and enjoyment of users, while the rest of the site remains as untouched and unspoilt as possible, fostering a sincere and honest approach to the natural environment.

The project consists of 7 modular pieces in a sort of puzzle-like arrangement, which form 4 principal types of villas, allowing several variations and adaptations. With endless combinations, they adjust and respond in a unique way to the site and its particularities, making every villa one of a kind.

 

Ventanilla, Mazunte, Oaxaca, 2019

4,460 m2

Plan Reserva El Torón EIIVentanilla, Mazunte, Oaxaca, 2019In progress

La arquitectura de Nicaragua refleja las complejas relaciones de su realidad histórica, con toda la herencia multicultural del pasado y la riqueza de su entorno natural presente.

La riqueza natural de Guacalito de la Isla es la base de la propuesta, la cual debe contemplar el mayor aprovechamiento de las vistas, vegetación nativa y recursos del emplazamiento, integrándose sutilmente al contexto. La propuesta arquitectónica busca expandir esta relación al propio modo de vivir los espacios. El volumen se adapta al entorno natural a partir de los materiales, que aportan ligereza y frescura, haciendo que la luz y el aire sean los protagonistas de los espacios.

El terreno tiene una topografía particular, donde la parte media del terreno tiene la mayor elevación. Entre la zona alta del terreno y el nivel medio de la vialidad hay una diferencia de aproximadamente 7 m, por ello por medio de taludes y diseño de paisaje se buscará matizar esta diferencia de niveles.

La planta baja se desplanta en el nivel 116.50, uno de los punto más elevando del terreno, con el fin de aprovechar por completo las vistas hacia el mar y el entorno circundante. Con este desplante elevado, el basamento de la casa sirve al mismo tiempo de estructura portante y sótano con programa. En este nivel se ubican las áreas de servicio como bodegas, cuartos de servicio, área de lavado, cuarto de máquinas y el garage cerrado.

La conexión de esta zona con el nivel de planta baja se logra por medio de una gran escalinata, un montacargas y una escalera en el área de servicios.

Retomando los esquemas tradicionales de las casas coloniales de Nicaragua, la casa se articula en torno a un gran patio central que integra el programa de necesidades de los usuarios y lo divide en módulos semi-independientes que se unen por medio de dos grandes andadores perimetrales hacia el exterior y el centro de la casa. Los espacios se van acomodando según la vocación más pública o privada del programa, generando entre ellos diferentes áreas exteriores cubiertas que provocan la vivencia de la casa siempre hacia el la naturaleza del entorno. En la zona sur poniente se encuentran los espacios más públicos de la casa: En el acceso un área de guardado con un medio baño y el montacargas, family room, cocina con alacena, desde la cual hay conexión con un área de asador-desayunador exterior, escalera de servicio a sótano o cubierta, comedor, sala de estar, terraza cubierta con comedor, sala y zona de hamacas, la cual se conecta con la gran terraza exterior y la alberca, y une también el patio interior con el exterior.

El programa más privado contempla las habitaciones, las cuales tienen 3 tipologías: 3 recámaras ubicadas hacia el norte con baño completo, 1 suite con vestidor, baño y jardín interior, así como una terraza orientada hacia el sur-oriente y la suite principal, con vestidor baño y jardín interior. En este nivel también se ubica un estudio de música, el cual tiene un desnivel de 1.30 m hacia el jardín exterior con el objetivo de lograr privacidad y un ambiente diferenciado del resto de la casa.

En el segundo nivel se ubica una segunda suite principal con la misma distribución que la suite inferior y con grandes vistas hacia el entorno.

Todos los espacios contemplan el uso de cancelerías diseñadas con maderas de la región y buscando el refugio y confort necesarios además de la versatilidad de cerrar y abrir los espacios en su totalidad hacia el exterior y hacia el patio central.

Por medio de materiales naturales, se buscan ambientes neutros, sutiles y elegantes, donde el protagonista sea la vegetación existente y la riqueza natural del entorno.

Casa La MadroñaGuacalito de La Isla, Nicaragua, 2019En proceso

This elementary 7 x 31-meter volume has undergone a number of volumetric movements until reaching its final configuration. Its external appearance as a simple box contrasts with the interior, which is the result of subtractions that have shaped both the floor plan and the section.

The regular modulation of the overall structure contrasts with the organic, internal spaces. As a result, a series of intermediate spaces emerges between the interior rooms and the perimeter with different degrees of openness, courtyards, colonnaded areas, terraces, and double-height interior spaces that enhance the residents’ experience.

The entire perimeter is glazed, increasing the sense of spaciousness, directly reinforcing the connection with the exterior. Despite the module’s rigidity, determined by the glass partitions and the structure’s rhythm, the spaces still boast different morphologies and ways of relating to the exterior. The element of surprise is therefore key when exploring the spaces and discovering the variations between the rooms, thanks to the intriguing interplay between the interior and exterior.

 

Colonia Lomas de Chapultepec, Ciudad de México, 2016

696 sqm

CárpatosColonia Lomas de Chapultepec, Ciudad de México, 2016In progress
Plan Reserva El TorónMazunte, Oaxaca, 2014In progress

Several organizations helped communities affected by Mexico’s September 2017 earthquakes, such as Ocuilan in the State of Mexico. We participated in one of the reconstruction initiatives organized by Pienza Sostenible, to provide a new home for Ángela an Juan’s family.

The family plot has a central patio around which different public and private constructions have been developed, responding to the needs of its inhabitants. Four families live on the site, which includes some communal spaces such as the bathroom, the kitchen, the laundry area and the central courtyard. Ángela, Juan and their children were spread out in three separate rooms, a situation that affected the family dynamics. The proposal was for a private and compact space with bedrooms that could be adapted to their needs and stages of life, including the future growth of a fourth module. Likewise, an adjacent service tower contemplates a shared bathroom and shower for all the families that live on the site. The new construction links to the existing complex via an open, plant-filled courtyard, establishing a new, central space where the nuclear family can relax and also be in contact with their wider community.

 

Ocuilan de Arteaga, Estado de México, 2018

60 sqm

Casa de Ángela y JuanOcuilan de Arteaga, Estado de México, 2018Built
Torre PedregalPedregal, Mexico City, 2015Conceptual
Infonavit Vivienda Unifamiliar Regional, PueblaPuebla, Puebla, 2014Conceptual
Pabellón El Eco 2013San Rafael, Mexico City, 2013Conceptual
Torre de tierraDolores Hidalgo, Guanajuato, 2010Built

This house was built on the roof of a mid-twentieth century construction. The new construction uses this situation to its advantage, by supporting its structure on the original, thus converting it into a foundation. As a result, in some cases, the walls below become pillars above, removing the partitions and permitting ample, diaphanous rooms thanks to the large concrete slab covering the space.

The new house preserves the same distribution governed by the corridor, with the rooms ranged along one side. The interior wall accompanying this passage becomes a calibrated division, and along its entire length a bespoke piece of furniture adapts to the requirements of each space.

Running parallel to this interior corridor, on the other side of the rooms, an exterior walkway creates a route along the length of the house via a terrace open to the garden, while the slender window frames blur the relationship between inside and outside spaces. This large, continuous window converts the interior into part of the surrounding urban landscape.

 

San Miguel Chapultepec, Mexico City, 2010

180 sqm

Photographs: Ignacio Urquiza / ESTUDIO URQUIZA Taller de fotografía

RebollarSan Miguel Chapultepec, Mexico City, 2010Built
Casa MacariaPuerto Escondido, Oaxaca, 2008Built