Las Americas Housing Complex
LAS AMERICAS HOUSING COMPLEX
SO-IL
CLIENT
Imuvi Development City of Leon
EXECUTIVE ARCHITECT
IMUVI León
FACILITIES DESIGN
CIE
STRUCTURAL ENGINEER
ICNUM
GENERAL CONTRACTOR
COSEBA
DESIGN TEAM
Florian Idenburg, Ilias Papageorgiou, Isabel Sarasa, Seunghyun Kang, Sophie Nichols, Pam Anantrungroj
CATEGORY
Social Housing
LOCATION
Leon, Mexico
Las Americas is a prototype for the development of vertical dwellings in the city of Leon, Mexico. The housing project aims to offset the city’s unchecked sprawl, serving as a catalyst for urban regeneration and improved quality of life in low-income communities.
Traditional notions of homeownership currently lock developments into becoming acres of identical free-standing homes in remote areas far from the economic center. Extensive municipal utilities expansion and expensive transportation programs have led to a decline in the region’s economy, and a loss of critical density within Leon.
We worked with Imuvi Development and the City of Leon to rethink housing models in the city and develop a structure that would be both cost-effective and encourage tenants to experience vertical dwellings as appealing as their freestanding single-family counterparts.
Our project creates 60 condo units as a vertical housing block at the city’s center. The design maximizes the plot’s buildable footprint and generates two interior courtyards that provide cross ventilation to each unit, with parking and a commercial base.
Resonant of the traditional home’s sense of privacy, no two units face one another. Units are arranged in a single-loaded corridor to face the courtyard and provide views out to the neighborhood, promoting the sense of private homeownership.
A facade assembled of uniquely developed concrete blocks enhance privacy and shading, generate a unique interior atmosphere, and lend character to the building exterior. The project is designed with shared utility cores and prefabricated components to accommodate an extremely limited budget.
