Brujas 26

One of the effects of the sprawl in cities is that architectural objects belonging to another age, get caught in the middle of the urban tissue instead of preserving the condition of isolation that was prevalent at the time of construction.

Such is the case of this 1903 estate located in Querétaro, that was at some point engulfed by the city and now stands in the middle of residential areas, quite near from downtown. Being a unique property in town, having an unequalled location and intending to support the idea of living in-town instead of suburbia, it was decided to develop the property into a condominium of five apartments that could offer the best of all worlds.

The estate includes a parcel of 1312 sq. m., with two fronts, one to a low-traffic artery and another towards a residential neighborhood. Inside this parcel two huge laurels are an important presence and border the existing building. This building contains three apartments while a new building houses two apartments. In terms of materials, it was decided for the new building the use of industrial brick, in order to establish a dialog with the existent hand-made brick of the original building. Additional contrast is created with the use of zinc cladding on certain volumes. The apartments have an approximate area of 190 sq. m., which provides the area of a stand alone house with all the advantages of living in a complex.