Organised by a radial staircase that leads to three organically shaped extensions, the project developed by JSa and mta+v has 14 floors above ground level where we find eighteen different types of housing. In an organic way and according to the diversity of housing, the different interior spaces, the rhythm, proportion and scale of the project are formed.
A game of solids and voids shapes the building accompanied by the presence of endemic vegetation and respectful materials that integrate the new construction in the area. The materials and finishes used in the project dialogue with the environment, generating a sober, discreet and elegant construction thanks to the exposed concrete, aluminium and glass.
PEDRE by JSa and mta+v. Photograph by Rafael Gamo.
Project description by JSa and mta+v
PEDRE embodies the harmonious assembly of an architecture which folds compose functional structures, solid constructions, optimal materials, interiors that become exteriors, custom-made furniture and landscape panoramic views that dialogue with the territory. Located in the vicinity of the Pedregal de San Ángel Ecological Reserve, the project not only recognizes the environmental value of the area by integrating itself to the already developed periphery that surrounds it, but also compliments the modernist architecture of the National Autonomous University of Mexico central campus, and the industrial past of the San Ángel and Loreto neighborhoods.
The architectural project weaves a balance between densities; a positive balance between built and permeable area. Thirty percent of the free area corresponds to open spaces, circulations, lobby and recreation areas. The average density of the building is consistent with the respectful vision of the surrounding environment, the history of El Pedregal, as well as the industrial, artistic and cultural heritage of the area, its permanence and transformation.
The diversity of housing is extremely relevant, both for the solution of interior spaces and for the rhythm, proportion and scale of the project. Spread over 14 floors, 112 apartments—of 18 different typologies from 90 to 300 m2 on average—constitute the main structure of the building. The radial core is the backbone of the space, giving way to three bodies with different organic projections that unfold and approach the city.
Finishes and materials in exposed concrete, aluminum and glass merge architecture with structural engineering, turning minimums into maximums, favoring a sober, discreet and elegant construction with a careful proportion between openings and solids. In response to the physical and natural context, the project exalts the region natural deposits with a stone basement and endemic vegetation. Access points, sidewalks, bays, lobbies and public spaces belong to the public construction of the collective memory of the region.
The morphology, folds, insets, columns, balconies, undulations and symbiosis between verticals and curves, bet on an emblematic building with meanings and signifiers beyond what is built. Architecture for the place, specifically designed as a response to the origin and evolution of a fertile territory for the growth of PEDRE as an urban complex on a social scale.
