Description
The project takes up a 20 by 40 metre site in a residential area in the western part of Mexico City. The programme for this building comprised a large studio and exhibition space as well as offices and housing for an artist in residence, kitchen, services, a multi-functional area for social events (such as exhibition openings) and parking for 25 cars. The parking space is underground and the building itself has three levels: a triple-height space, offices on the third level and a service area on the roof.
Architect Bilbao opted for angular shapes, large cantilevers and big windows that allow plenty of natural light into the studio as well as into most parts of the building. The cantilever structure is 14 x 8 metres in size and contains the studio and office space. The space underneath can be used for various open-air activities such as lectures or exhibitions. The levity conveyed by the cantilever is reinforced by the whiteness of all the surfaces (walls, floors and ceilings), which also introduces a sense of cleanliness and “cosmopolitan” sophistication. All components are concrete.
View of the forecourt and cantilever from the pedestrian access
Interior view of the main gallery space
Originally published in: Felipe Hernández, Beyond Modernist Masters. Contemporary Architecture in Latin America, Birkhäuser, 2009.