PILARES Iztapalapa
Mexico City, Mexico, 2022
This facility, located beside the country’s largest penitentiary, forms part of a program to improve marginalized areas of Mexico City. Engaging directly with the street through a terracotta lattice, the building unfolds into four patios that provide openness and safety without isolation. Materials were selected for accessibility and ease of maintenance, all obtainable from local hardware stores. The architecture reinterprets the elements typical of informal settlements—brick, concrete, and metal—enhancing them with new hierarchy and spatial quality. The result is a building rooted in its context yet elevated through thoughtful design.