Architecture news: Letter from Mexico
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BNKR Arquitectura (opens in new tab): Sunset Chapel, Acapulco, Mexico
BNKR’s sunset chapel is made to look like just another colossal granite rock atop Acapulco’s hills. By elevating the chapel five meters into the air, the architects took full advantage of the views while paying respect to the site’s vegetation
While Mexican architects felt the economical crisis long after it hit the US and Europe, the country's economy is already showing signs of recovery. The temporary halt on construction, which affected everything from cultural centres to hotels and museums, has ended and new projects are now springing up in all corners of the country, from Guadalajara to Monterrey and Acapulco. New offices are also emerging and the picture for young Mexican architects is buoyant once again.
There's also a strong architectural culture in Mexico City, a culture infused by the spirit of working together on competitions and project design. We checked out the current scene, rounding up a series of new projects that define the new wave of Mexican design, with collaboration and cooperation pushed to the fore.
BNKR Arquitectura (opens in new tab): Sunset Chapel, Acapulco, Mexico
FREE Fernando Romero (opens in new tab): Museo Soumaya, Mexico City
FREE Fernando Romero’s brand new Soumaya Museum (opens in new tab) is a sculptural block in central Mexico City. Home to the expansive art collection of telecoms billionaire Carlos Slim (Romero’s father-in-law), the museum’s facade is composed of 15,000 aluminium hexagonal modules that wrap an economical substructure. A continuous ramp connects all the facilities, allowing you to make your way slowly through six floors of spectacular exhibition space
FREE Fernando Romero (opens in new tab): Museo Soumaya, Mexico City
Productora: (opens in new tab) Casa Valle de Bravo, Valle de Bravo, Mexico
Productora opted for three shallow rectangular volumes in its Casa Valle de Bravo. Stacked up in a zigzag composition, the volumes provide protected courtyards as well as large terraces that are completely open to Lake Avándaro
Productora (opens in new tab): Casa Valle de Bravo, Valle de Bravo, Mexico
at103 (opens in new tab): Rehabilitation of Lecumberri Prison/National Archive, Mexico DF
at103 maintained and clarified the formal structure of the panopticon, seen in these renders, without using any allegoric elements. The introverted building is ’ripped’ open and provides free access to the gardens and open spaces of the former prison
at103 (opens in new tab): Rehabilitation of Lecumberri Prison/National Archive, Mexico DF
Arquitectura 911sc and Hector Esrawe (opens in new tab): Sala De Arte Público Siqueiros, Mexico DF
Working in collaboration with Hector Esrawe, Arquitectura 911sc transformed the facade and lobby of Sala de Arte Publico Siqueiros (SAPS), the former home and workshop of one of Mexico’s prominent muralists, David Alfaro Siqueiros. The murals are now visually connected with the street to emphasise the public character of the museum
Arquitectura 911sc and Hector Esrawe (opens in new tab): Sala De Arte Público Siqueiros, Mexico DF
Dear Architects (opens in new tab): Casa de Uno, Monterrey, México
Each of the spaces in Dear Architects’ Casa de Uno are functionally independent, though the robust black exterior and gorges of light in the interior unite them together. A seemingly heavy steel plate door gives entrance to a ’cut of air’
Dear Architects (opens in new tab): Casa de Uno, Monterrey, México
Tatiana Bilbao (opens in new tab): Botanical Gardens, Culiacán
Architect Tatiana Bilbao was brought in to set things right in Culiacán’s lush botanical gardens. The new master plan is based on an abstract motif of the branches of a tree superimposed on the existing pathways’ forms. Twelve rocky pavilions house the art-interventions of 30 different artists
Tatiana Bilbao (opens in new tab): Botanical Gardens, Culiacán
Fernanda Canales (opens in new tab) in collaboration arquitectura911sc (opens in new tab): Coyoacán Cultural Center, Mexico DF
Fernanda Canales and arquitectura911sc are renovating a 19th century house into a cultural center in the South of Mexico City. A new glazed box stuck to the front façade prominently shows people the way to the library
Rojkind Arquitectos (opens in new tab) in collaboration with Hector Esrawe (opens in new tab): Tori Tori, Mexico City
This new Japanese restaurant in Mexico City (pictured under construction) is another good example of how local Mexican craftsmen can realise digital design by simple means. The two-layer steel lattice covers the facade of an existing house and makes a reference to ivy growing on the existing walls behind it. Designer Hector Esrawe custom-designed all the furniture
Frida Escobedo (opens in new tab) in collaboration with Jose Rojas: Boca Chica (opens in new tab), Acapulco
Frida Escobedo and Jose Rojas have brought an original hotel from the 1950s - designed by pre-eminent Mexican architect Antonio Peláes - back to life. Clean lines and strong geometric forms softened by a palette of vintage green and original terrazzo floors mark the 36 signature rooms in this new boutique hotel in the beach town of Acapulco
Frida Escobedo (opens in new tab) in collaboration with Jose Rojas: Boca Chica, Acapulco
Richard Meier & Partners (opens in new tab): W Santa Fe, Liberty Plaza, Mexico City
The New York-based Modernist has a monumental new work in the offing for Mexico City’s Santa Fe district. Liberty Plaza, a towering complex of three 15-storey towers, will include Starwood’s new W Santa Fe hotel, with far-reaching views from its rooftop pool complex
Richard Meier & Partners (opens in new tab): W Santa Fe, Liberty Plaza, Mexico City
Richard Meier & Partners (opens in new tab): W Retreat Kanai, Kanai Resort, Yucatan
Meier’s team is also overseeing Starwood’s new W Retreat Kanai (opens in new tab), a serene sprawl of geometric precision. The 180-room hotel will be the anchor of the new Kanai Resort on the mangrove-covered Yucatan coast
Richard Meier & Partners (opens in new tab): W Retreat Kanai, Kanai Resort, Yucatan
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Apartment interior design: outstanding spaces around the globe
Apartment interiors can be tricky to balance. Create a sense of space and get inspired by our global edit of architect-designed ideas. From minimalist mezzanines and lofts that bridge old and new, to sleek urban penthouses and dramatic transformations
By Ellie Stathaki • Published
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Zegna’s ‘Triple Stitch’ sneaker captures the house’s 112 years of innovation
Zegna’s signature ‘Triple Stitch’ sneaker returns for S/S 2023, now available in luxurious fabrications – from grained leather to canvas and soft suede
By Jack Moss • Published
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We’re waxing lyrical over these luxury candles
At a loss when it comes to finding the perfect indulgence or gift? Explore our edit of luxury candles for some bright ideas
By Mary Cleary • Published
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A minimalist Mexican home has rocky roots
Echegaray, a minimalist Mexican home by Pérez Palacios Arquitectos Asociados, draws on its rocky site, which peeps out from its lower levels
By Ellie Stathaki • Published
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This slim Condesa house in Mexico City blends rawness and nature
Casa Parras, a Condesa house in Mexico City, is the brainchild of two studios – Alberto Kalach’s TAX and Emilio A Cohen's Tow Va Bow
By Ellie Stathaki • Published
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Mexican bolthole Los Durmientes offers total immersion in nature
Los Durmientes by Bernardo Chavez Peón – a picturesque Mexican bolthole makes a dreamily idyllic retreat
By Ana Karina Zatarain • Published
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Casa Sexta by All Arquitectura is an exemplar of urban minimalism
Casa Sexta by All Arquitectura brings together domestic warmth and minimalist architecture in the outskirts of Mexico City
By Ellie Stathaki • Published
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Mexico City apartment transformed through sliding walls and folding screens
Multifaceted urban Mexico City apartment is a transformable wonderland by Archetonic Architects
By Jonathan Bell • Published
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Mexico City home draws on its city's rich midcentury modern legacy
Ventana House in Mexico City is the home and workspace of architect José Juan Rivera Rio of JJRR/Arquitectura
By Ellie Stathaki • Last updated
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Venice Architecture Biennale 2023 curator Lesley Lokko on decolonisation, decarbonisation and diversity
The Ghanaian-Scottish architect, who will curate the 2023 Venice Architecture Biennale, sets out to tackle global issues through her new school in Accra
By Ellie Stathaki • Last updated
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This Mérida house is designed to be taken over by nature
Casa Akúun by Arkham Projects balances the heaviness of concrete with the richness of nature in an expansive plot in Mexico
By Harriet Thorpe • Last updated