Published in the December 2022 issue of werk, bauen + wohnen © werk, bauen + wohnen
› 2022, article in the print magazine of werk, bauen + wohnen.
› Rozana Montiel invited me to her studio in Mexico City. There I spoke with the architect about her professional career, her approach and about her recently completed neighbourhood centre in the municipality of Iztapalapa, a marginalised area of Mexico’s metropolis of 22 million people.
The full text can be found in the «Learning from Mexico» section. An excerpt is presented here.
Text excerpt:
Discreet and permeable
An hour’s drive south of Montiel’s office, in the district of Iztapalapa, lies the district centre Pilares, an acronym for Puntos de Innovación, Libertad, Arte, Educación y Saberes ( Spots for Innovation, Freedom, Art, Education and Knowledge). Since 2019, around 275 such centres have been built, 25 of which have been commissioned from renowned architects. They are located in marginalised areas of the 22-million metropolis and offer free classes and workshops to children, adolescents and adults. The aim is to strengthen the social fabric and motivate people to pursue an education.
The centre, designed by Rozana Montiel and inaugurated this spring, stands on a corner lot in one of the most densely populated areas of Mexico City. Here, most people live in houses built by themselves. There are hardly any green spaces or public places. Therefore, from the very beginning it was crucial for Montiel that an oasis of culture and recreation be created here that would convey a sense of generosity and spatial diversity despite the small plot. Four two-storey building modules alternate with green courtyards. The mild climate allows for fluid boundaries between inside and outside. Despite the depressingly high levels of violence and poverty in this part of town, Montiel and her team managed to find a balance between openness and shelter. A small plaza at the front corner of the site forms a subtle threshold between the urban space and the centre of the neighbourhood. Here, activities arouse curiosity and strengthen trust in state institutions, which has suffered from decades of political neglect of the lower class.
› 2022, article in the print magazine of werk, bauen + wohnen.
› Rozana Montiel invited me to her studio in Mexico City. There I spoke with the architect about her professional career, her approach and about her recently completed neighbourhood centre in the municipality of Iztapalapa, a marginalised area of Mexico’s metropolis of 22 million people.
The full text can be found in the «Learning from Mexico» section. An excerpt is presented here.
