Minimum housing. Ocuilán by Palma
23/07/2021.
[State of Mexico] Mexico
metalocus, MICHELLE ÁLVAREZ
metalocus, MICHELLE ÁLVAREZ
As a result of the earthquake in central Mexico, the country was destroyed and efforts were made to rebuild the affected areas with vulnerable families. The architecture studio Palma was responsible for designing one of these houses.
The single-family house is not more than a surface of 45 m², since all the houses had to have the same dimensions by the number of bricks that were donated for this cause.
The single-family house is not more than a surface of 45 m², since all the houses had to have the same dimensions by the number of bricks that were donated for this cause.
Ocuilán by Palma. Photograph by Luis Young
Ocuilán by Palma. Photograph by Luis Young
Ocuilán by Palma. Photograph by Luis Young
Ocuilán by Palma. Photograph by Luis Young
Ocuilán by Palma. Photograph by Luis Young
Ocuilán by Palma. Photograph by Luis Young
Ocuilán by Palma. Photograph by Luis Young
Ocuilán by Palma. Photograph by Luis Young
Ocuilán by Palma. Photograph by Luis Young
Ocuilán by Palma. Photograph by Luis Young
Ocuilán by Palma. Photograph by Luis Young
Ocuilán by Palma. Photograph by Luis Young
Ocuilán by Palma. Photograph by Luis Young
Ocuilán by Palma. Photograph by Luis Young
Ocuilán by Palma. Photograph by Luis Young
Ocuilán by Palma. Photograph by Luis Young
Floor plan. Ocuilán by Palma
Elevations. Ocuilán by Palma
Elevations. Ocuilán by Palma
Sections. Ocuilán by Palma
Sections. Ocuilán by Palma
Model. Ocuilán by Palma
Model. Ocuilán by Palma
Model. Ocuilán by Palma
The Palma studio contacted the family to which they were going to build the house, to know their needs. The house had to have an area on the outside that communicated with the kitchen, since the lady was dedicated to cleaning the thorns of the nopales, and as a last requirement add one more stay to the house.
The floor of the house is simple, as it is a square of 7x7 meters plus a central patio. The rooms are arranged at the rear while the patio and kitchen are located at the front of the house providing these spaces with privileged views.
The floor of the house is simple, as it is a square of 7x7 meters plus a central patio. The rooms are arranged at the rear while the patio and kitchen are located at the front of the house providing these spaces with privileged views.
Description of project by Palma
Since the 2017 earthquake that struck central Mexico, initiatives such as Reconstruir México emerged, the objective was to achieve a conscious and effective reconstruction of the affected areas. For this, 50 architectural firms were summoned, which would be in charge of working with families in vulnerable situations. The project funded by #LoveArmyMéxico and with the support of different institutions such as Fundación Origen, ¡Échale! a tu Casa, Fideicomiso Fuerza México and PienZa Sostenible would deliver a house to each of the affected families.
At the beggining of the process, the teams visited the assigned families to get to know them and find out the specific needs of each of the family members. In our case, the project would be for Axel, an 8-year-old boy who lived with his grandparents.
The site is a plot owned by Axel’s grandparents, where not only they lived, but also the entire families of his other two daughters. The house for Axel would be built at the rear of the lot, which has a considerable height difference from the front, where the 3 families currently live.
Axel’s grandmother, whose daily work consists of cleaning cactus spines, asked us to have some outdoor space that was directly related to the kitchen. Another requirement was to incorporate a third bedroom to accommodate another family member in case of need.
Seeking to maintain a reduced budget, the houses had to be built with the same block donated by the organizations with a 45m² footage. To give a feeling of spaciousness to the reduced space, the project is configured by a series of independent walls that, by framing certain visuals along the daily route, provide a depth that goes beyond the built limits. Although the floor plan of the house is simple, a square of 7 meters per side with a small central patio, the use of the aforementioned walls helps avoiding a simple and direct reading of the interior space, giving a surprise character to the proposal. The 3 bedrooms are arranged at the back of the house and face the lusher side of the plot, while the kitchen and the small central patio, which serves as a workspace for Axel’s grandmother, are placed in front of the project and get privileged views.
More information
Architects
Project team
Tonatiuh Armenta, Pablo Peréz Alonso.
Area
Each house 45 sqm.
Dates
2020.
Location
Estado de México, México.
Photography
Ilse Cárdenas, Regina De Hoyos, Diego Escamilla & Juan Luis Rivera. PALMA
P A L M A is a young architecture office based in Mexico City. It was founded by Ilse Cárdenas, Regina De Hoyos, Diego Escamilla & Juan Luis Rivera, all of whom studied at the UNAM School of Architecture.
The practice is geared towards finding integrated and individual solutions to each architectural problem. Our approach is based off a detailed analysis of the immediate context and a design process which is open to experimentation and exploration. The result is a constant search towards an architecture of atmospheres which move people and truly belong.
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