Location: Fernández Leal #43, Barrio de la Concepción, Coyoacán, México D.F.
Project Design: Fernanda Canales + arquitectura 911sc
Design Leaders: Fernanda Canales, Saidee Springall, Jose Castillo
Design Team: Iván Cervantes, Edgar Romero, Arturo Carreón, Anabel Chavez, Javier Juárez
Status: Built
Structure: Grupo SAI
Service systems project: Ing. Carlos Medina
Lighting project: Artenluz Arq. Javier Ten
Landscape project: Entorno Taller de Paisaje (Tonatiuh Martinez + Hugo Sánchez)
Area: 1358 m2
Artistic collaboration: Paloma Torres. Bronce doors, work titled “Transformed forest”
Photography: Jaime Navarro, Sandra Pereznieto
— DESCRIPTION BY a | 911 —
The project is based on the idea of highlighting the existing early 20th century house and creating an open space for a new bookstore as well as adding spaces for cultural activities.
The preexistence of the house, made us take a decision to establish new volumes adjoining, butting up-against, and defining interesting relationships with the original house. A concrete frame in the front, with a glass facade brings out the books towards the street and at the same time incorporates the trees into the inside.
From the outside the building is perceived like a great public foyer where books, vegetation and the existing house façade is exhibited, serving as a pre-amble to the rest of the program.
The project is distributed in three principal blocks, the front with a triple ceiling height is almost an exterior space; the existing house, destined to be a bookstore, is converted into a transition space to the back which is the auditorium, classrooms, services, offices and parking. Most of the program is concentrated in the new block to the back of the building, which is developed in four levels.
