SO – IL Office Ltd.

Las Americas Housing Complex

Las Americas Housing Complex
© Iwan Baan

LAS AMERICAS HOUSING COMPLEX

SO-IL

ARCHITECTS
SO-IL

AREA
3000 m²

YEAR
2021

PHOTOGRAPHS
Iwan Baan

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.

Las Americas Housing Complex
© Iwan Baan
Las Americas Housing Complex
© Iwan Baan

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.

Las Americas Housing Complex
© Iwan Baan
Las Americas Housing Complex
© Iwan Baan

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.

Las Americas Housing Complex
© Iwan Baan
Las Americas Housing Complex
© Iwan Baan

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.


Las Americas Housing Complex
© Iwan Baan
Las Americas Housing Complex
© Iwan Baan


Las Americas Housing Complex
Las Americas Housing Complex


Las Americas Housing Complex
Las Americas Housing Complex


Las Americas Housing Complex
Las Americas Housing Complex


Las Americas Housing Complex
Las Americas Housing Complex

SO – IL Office Ltd.
T +1 718 6246666
SO – IL Office Ltd.
320 Livingston St, Brooklyn, NY 11217, United States