The project, designed by Estudio MMX + Olga Romano, investigates the typologies of traditional housing complexes, in the Valley neighborhood in Mexico City.

Colonia del Valle is a neighborhood in the Benito Juarez borough of Mexico City. It includes a great number of parks, vast and tree-lined streets, shopping malls, and some city landmarks.
Estudio MMX + Olga Romano proposed scheme and building incorporating a diagonal sequence of spaces, where the apartments are organized in such a way that there is no “back apartment”. The latter is possible through the combination of single and duplex typologies that have a relation towards the interior patios and gardens but also towards the street.

The building is integrally out of concrete. The structural system based on load bearing concrete walls, beams and slabs allows to reduce the number of additional construction details, execution problems and maintenance costs.
 

Project description by Estudio MMX + Olga Romano

The building’s design is an exploration based on the traditional housing complexes and typologies of del Valle neighborhood in Mexico City; an urban layout where the street blocks feature pan coupé corners that create broad intersections. As a response to this specific situation, the scheme and building incorporate a diagonal sequence of spaces that transition from the public realm of the street towards the intimacy of the interior and private terraces and gardens.

Inside the scheme, the apartments are organized in such a way that there is no “back apartment”. The latter is possible through the combination of single and duplex typologies that have a relation towards the interior patios and gardens but also towards the street. These typologies are clearly expressed in the façade and are the main drivers of the façade configuration.

The building is integrally out of concrete. The structural system based on load bearing concrete walls, beams and slabs allows to reduce the number of additional construction details, execution problems and maintenance costs. The shading screens of the facade, also in concrete, are the characteristic elements of the building since they orient the views, reduce solar gain in the least favored orientations and express the geometrical conceptualization of the building.

Read more
Read less

More information

Label
Architects
Text
Estudio MMX + Olga Romano
+ + copy Created with Sketch.
- + copy Created with Sketch.
Label
Project Team
Text
Mariana Braga, Olivia Hansberg
+ + copy Created with Sketch.
- + copy Created with Sketch.
Label
Area
Text
3510.40m²
+ + copy Created with Sketch.
- + copy Created with Sketch.
Label
Dates
Text
2017
+ + copy Created with Sketch.
- + copy Created with Sketch.
Label
Photography
+ + copy Created with Sketch.
- + copy Created with Sketch.
MMX was established in 2010 MMX Studio emerges as a collaborative team based in Mexico City focused on the design process at the various scales of the territory. Founded by Jorge Arvizu, Ignacio del Rio, Emmanuel Ramirez and Diego Ricalde.

The studio has been the recipient of various national and international awards such as the “Architectural League Prize” in New York, the “Design Vanguard” (Architectural Record), “The Cemex Award” for best national and international housing project 2013 and the Latinamerican Bienal presented in Pamplona, Spain. Their work has been presented in various renowned museums and galleries such as “Storefront for Art and Architecture” and the MOMA Museum of Modern Art in Manhattan New York as well as the MUDE Fashion Museum in Lisbon, Portugal.

Jorge Arvizu, is an architect and urban planner with honors from the IBERO and Master in Civil Engineering and Construction Management from the IBERO. He has worked in renowned architecture studios, among which TEN Arquitectos, Volvox Construcciones and the Alberto Kalach Architecture Workshop stand out, as well as a close collaboration with Architect Oscar Haggerman in the construction of shelters and schools in marginalized rural areas. Prior to Estudio MMX, Jorge worked independently consolidating his experience in the areas of architectural design, development, construction and administration. He was a professor of projects and construction at IBERO and has been invited by various institutions to offer lectures on topics related to this experience, as well as work and projects of MMX Study.

Ignacio del Rio is an architect with honors from the UNAM. He has worked in renowned architecture studio in Mexico, and Spain, among which Alberto Kalach's Workshop and Central Architecture in Mexico stand out, as well as DL + A and Molestina Architekten in Spain. Ignacio del Rio. He has a very solid experience in design and development of construction documents, as well as control of work teams. He has been invited by various national and international institutions to evaluate and offer lectures on topics related to this experience, as well as the work and projects of MMX Study.

Emmanuel Ramírez, is an architect with honors from the UNAM and Master in Urban Design from The University College of London (UCL). He has worked in various architecture studios including LBC and the Alberto Kalach Mexico Workshop, as well as SOM David Chipperfield Architects in England. He has developed his disciplinary interests in the fields of strategic urban design, master plans and architectural design. He was Professor at IBERO and at UTA Arlington and has been invited by multiple national and international institutions to judge, teach and give lectures on topics related to their interests, as well as work and MMX Study projects.

Diego Ricalde is an architect with honors from UNAM and Master in Architecture and Urbanism, with distinction, from the Architectural Association School of Architecture. He has worked in Mexico, Switzerland and Italy developing his disciplinary interests in different fields, including urban and strategic design, as well as architectural design and computational design. He has been invited by multiple national and international institutions to rate, teach and lecture on topics related to these interests as well as work and MMX Study projects.
Read more
Published on: April 16, 2020
Cite: "Diagonal as an element of transit between interior and exterior. DPS Apartments by Estudio MMX + Olga Romano" METALOCUS. Accessed
<http://www.metalocus.es/en/news/diagonal-element-transit-between-interior-and-exterior-dps-apartments-estudio-mmx-olga-romano> ISSN 1139-6415
Loading content ...
Loading content ...
Loading content ...
Loading content ...
Loading content ...
Loading content ...
Loading content ...
Loading content ...
Loading content ...
Loading content ...
Loading content ...
Loading content ...
Loading content ...
Loading content ...
Loading content ...
Loading content ...
Loading content ...
Loading content ...
Loading content ...
Loading content ...
Loading content ...
Loading content ...
Loading content ...
Loading content ...
Loading content ...
Loading content ...
Loading content ...
Loading content ...
Loading content ...
Loading content ...
Loading content ...
Loading content ...
Loading content ...
Loading content ...
Loading content ...
Loading content ...
Loading content ...
Loading content ...
Loading content ...
Loading content ...
Loading content ...
Loading content ...
Loading content ...
Loading content ...
Loading content ...
Loading content ...
Loading content ...
Loading content ...
Loading content ...
Loading content ...
Loading content ...
Loading content ...
Loading content ...
Loading content ...