Lightness, honesty and austerity. IBAGA by nomn

Project description by nomn

The project is located inside a gas station in the periphery of Morelia, it is next to one of the main roads of the city which connects the western housing area with the labor needs of the inner city. This gas station has been a service center and a meeting point for many years for the people who transit this route daily.

the city and the increase in production of the agricultural zones of the state. That’s why, a light architecture consisting of steel structures and prefabricated materials is used, mainly in commercial warehouses, small businesses, and economical housing, which has solved the necessities of the population quickly and effectively. A utilitarian architecture with honesty and material austerity.


IBAGA by nomn. Photograph by Cesar Belio.

The constant flow of people and the quick growth of the area motivated the owners to develop a subtilized parcel of the gas station with five “commercial warehouses”. Popular typology in the zone, characterized by its economy and flexibility to hold multiple uses.

The proposal is simple. The terrain was divided into 5 warehouses of 8.5 meters width in the front following a structural reticule that allowed a light structure with a free plan in each space. In its height, the warehouses grow a meter on a symmetric composition to provide hierarchy and scale to the project without affecting the neighbor construction.

The material proposal follows the surroundings. A façade of galvanized steel corrugated panels wraps the project and lets the volume to be seen from the nearest road. An economical, efficient, and honest project that complements the needs of the area.