Mini-Studio / FRENTE arquitectura

Architect: FRENTE arquitecura – Juan Pablo Maza
Location: Colonia Del Valle, Mexico City, Mexico
Constructed Area: 48 sqm
Size: 27 sqm
Construction Year: 2011
Project Team: Daniel Nava, Estefanía Hoth
Photographs: Onnis Luque, Paul Czitrom

Mini-Studio
This mini-Studio, limited to only 27m2 of footprint, is nested in a small gap originally occupied by a storage-room (between 3 existing constructions), in the backyard of a middle-class house in Mexico City. Being and artistic workshop and due to the south orientation of the site, the main challenge was to avoid the entry of direct sunlight into the space, without cancelling the view towards the garden.

To achieve this, the upper-level volume thrusts itself southward to project its shadow over the large (ground-floor) window that connects the studio with the exterior. The sloped roof slabs block away the sun rays from the working area, allowing the subtle entrance of uniform light over the double-height ceilings which communicate both levels, amplifying the scale.

The mezzanine gently rests over a wall at the back of the studio and launches itself towards the exterior dissolving the outline marked by the floor, to end suspended over the garden integrating it to the space. At the same time, the ground-floor glazed door, opens from side to side to completely vanish the border between interior and exterior.

elevations

A small gesture at the top of the façade produces a size changing triangular shadow throughout the day, providing movement to the volume. Using trapezoidal shapes and with a careful control of perspective, vanishing points are emphasized, achieving a dynamic and fluid space that awakens imagination while stimulating creativity.