Frida Escobedo

Mar Tirreno 86

Mar Tirreno 86
© Rafael Gamo

MAR TIRRENO 86

Frida Escobedo

ARCHITECTS
Frida Escobedo

CONSTRUCTION
Ardantz

STRUCTURAL ENGINEERING
Carunti Ingeniería

DESIGN TEAM
Héctor Arce, Carlos Hernández, Valentina Merz. Javier Rocamonde, Antonio Zarco

PHOTOGRAPHS
Rafael Gamo

AREA
25887 ft²

YEAR
2018

LOCATION
Mexico City, Mexico

CATEGORY
Houses

Text description provided by architect.

From the outset, the design was informed by a desire to challenge the organizational limitations of the typical vertical housing block. The objective was to expand, to blur, to make more dynamic the realm between public and private, interior and exterior, thereby creating new and more diverse possibilities for encounter between residents.

Mar Tirreno 86
© Rafael Gamo
Mar Tirreno 86
© Rafael Gamo
Mar Tirreno 86
© Rafael Gamo

We opted to divide the dwelling units between two separate volumes, a decision inspired by the 'vecindad', a common working-class housing type in Mexico dating to the turn of the 20th century, in which family dwellings are arranged to one or both sides of an open-air, private corridor-like patio.

These patios serve as a transitional space between the bustling street and the family home, and further function as gathering places for residents.

Rather than relying on balconies to provide private exterior space for the residents, we instead opted to fold the housing units inward to form a series of quiet, sheltered terraces that mediate the interior and exterior in a more ambiguous way.

Mar Tirreno 86
© Rafael Gamo
Mar Tirreno 86
© Rafael Gamo
Mar Tirreno 86
© Rafael Gamo

The resulting units can perhaps be better understood not merely as apartments, but as multi-story “patio houses,” which are intertwined, a compositional exercise intended to ensure the best natural lighting and privacy.

Each dwelling is therefore distinct from the next, but rather than articulate this condition on the exterior, the entire project is united by a façade of undulating, custom-fabricated concrete blocks. Light and shadow ripple as they move across the surface of this concrete veil, producing dazzling effects throughout the day.


Mar Tirreno 86
Plan 01
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Plan 02
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Plan 03
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Plan 04
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Plan 05


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Section 01
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Section 02
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Section 03
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Section 04
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Section 05

Frida Escobedo
T +52 55 52116497
Frida Escobedo
Mexico City, Mexico