«The poetry of hardness»

«The poetry of hardness»

Published in the December 2020 issue of the magazine werk, bauen + wohnen © Laure Nashed

Published in the December 2020 issue of the magazine werk, bauen + wohnen © Laure Nashed

› 2020, Article in the print magazine werk, bauen + wohnen.

 

› For the December issue of the magazine werk, bauen + wohnen I wrote about the elegant residential building by architect Frida Escobedo in Mexico City, which was realised with simple building materials and plays with the checkerboard-like arrangement of the individual flats.

 

The full text can be found in the «Learning from Mexico» section. Here is an excerpt.

Text excerpt:

 

«Small-scale neighbourhood

On the east façade, which follows the street Mar Tirreno, a few steps lead to the raised entrance. A deep, canyon-like crevice divides the apartment block lengthwise in the middle into two tall, narrow volumes. The large steel entrance portal is flanked by two large ash trees. In front of us is an imposing architectural gorge made of only one material: concrete brick. The high walls with narrow corrugations form the scenery. The flooring made of individual bricks creates its own pattern. Looking up, you may feel small, but the view of the sky, framed by the jagged outlines of the walls, is unique.

The narrow, corridor-like inner courtyard mediates the transition between the public space and the semi-public space of the house community. Here, architect Escobedo reformulates the traditional working-class housing typology, the vecindad – neighbourhood. This communal housing unit evolved from the Spanish courtyard building of Mexico’s conquistadors, in which flats are arranged on one or both sides of a common patio, which is the main entrance. The patio is the beating heart, serving as an access area, the supply of light and air, and the extension of the living space for the tiny flats. This is where people cook, wash, play and care for each other. The residents identify with their vecindad. This form of housing is still very common today in the popular residential areas of Mexico City.»

› 2020, Article in the print magazine werk, bauen + wohnen.

 

› For the December issue of the magazine werk, bauen + wohnen I wrote about the elegant residential building by architect Frida Escobedo in Mexico City, which was realised with simple building materials and plays with the checkerboard-like arrangement of the individual flats.

 

The full text can be found in the «Learning from Mexico» section. Here is an excerpt.