an apartment building built out of a single spatial unit

Location: Pachuca, Mexico
Program: Housing
Project Team: Edgar Rodriguez, Alexis Ávila, José Juan Garay, Diego Pulido
Status: Completed
Year: 2017

The urban situation of the site has been transforming radically during the past five years. Two factors have accelerated speculation on the area: 1. The construction of a large mall, right across the street from our plot, which is nearing completion; and 2. the completion of new public transportation routes on the area.
As a consequence, this project tries to mediate between the highest density possible and the spatial quality of the interior spaces. This premise led to the implementation of a terracing mass that seemingly disintegrates into the sky. Also, in order to meet budget limitations, modular and prefabricated elements are proposed to facilitate construction while permitting flexibility on the arrangement of the units.
The building is primarily composed of more than 800 identical spatial units. Each unit is a 3.2m by 3.2m cube defined by four columns and a roof. This spatial unit design also functions as a structural strategy which frees walls from any structural load thus allowing flexibility on the layout of each level of the building.