Architect Hector Barroso’s concrete housing is built around three patios

It’s often the most awkwardly shaped plots that offer the best opportunities for architectural experimentation and forward thinking; and this latest work by Mexico City-based Taller Hector Barroso is a case in point. The boutique residential development may sit on an unusually long and relatively narrow lot – at 10m wide but some 32m long – but the architect’s masterful manipulation of volumes and play between open and enclosed spaces meant that each and every one of the residents will feel the same level of wellbeing and connection to the outdoors. 

Entitled LC710, the project sits within DF’s Colonia del Valle residential district. Aiming to produce a complex containing six apartments, Barroso divided the overall massing into three distinct volumes. These alternate with three open-air patios, which provide external space for the residents and allow the four-storey structures to breathe. 

The patios allow the complex to breathe. Photography: Rafael Gamo

Inside, the three buildings are divided into two typologies. The two volumes closest to the street offer four units in total, which spread, one on each floor, across the two buildings. Front and back wings are connected horizontally through a circulation core on one of the long sides of the plot. Living spaces face the street, while private areas are located in the inner wing.

The third volume is arranged vertically, containing a further two apartments in a duplex formation. Roof gardens and terraces mean the residents have added access to the outdoors, overlooking the area’s rooftops and Mexico City’s skyline beyond.

Concrete and steel are the main materials used in the construction, with a particular colour aggregate offering the concrete its distinct, earthy hue. Soft balcony curves, a minimalist attitude to architectural decoration, warm timber floors and large openings create a series of light-filled interiors and a tactile, welcoming composition that has been tailormade to fit perfectly within its distinct urban context. §