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Esplanada Studio / Tatiana Bilbao & at103
Architect: Tatiana Bilbao & at103
Location: Lomas de Chapultepec, Mexico D.F., Mexico
Design Team: Tatiana Bilbao S.C. with Francisco Pardo, Julio Amezcua, Israel Alvarez, Aida Hurtado, Arturo Peniche, Jorge Vazquez, Carlos Leguizamo y Octavio Vazquez
Structural Engineering: IESSA, Ing. Francisco Javier Ribe
Contractor: MZM, Ing. Miguel Cornejo
Construction Management: Elizabeth Huerta
Project Year: 2006
Construction Year: 2007-2008
Budget: US $2.75 M
Constructed Area: 2,430 sqm
Photographs: Iwan Baan
Context and shape of the building
This artist’s studio is located in a residential area in the west corner of Mexico City, over a 20m x 40m site. The project has an underground parking space and its formed by a building with 3 levels (a triple-height space, offices on the third level and a service area on the roof), with a very specific architectural program. There were two conditions: on one hand, to be used as a studio and, on the other, to serve as venue for private temporary exhibits. The client asked us for the next spaces: one apartment for guests artists that could stay for a time while developing a practice or a show, a 9×9x9mt space for work or exhibit, one Studio / Office, one kitchen in the large space to use as a side bar for openings and parking for 25 cars.
The project conditions itself to the centre of the space, both the east and the west sides open up, this allows viewing of the trees and gardens on the site.
Construction and Technical Aspects
A 14 x 8 mt cantilevered concrete structure covers the exterior program, used for different open-air activities such as lectures, exhibitions or just as a meditating area. The concrete cantilevered structure contains the studio and office spaces that over looks the main space of the exhibit area. This project is mainly interested in its spatial qualities, than in the programmatic conditions itself, due to its multiple and diverse events. All the building is exposed in white concrete.
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- basement level plan
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- level 01 plan
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- level 02 plan
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- level 03 plan
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- roof plan
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- section 01
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- section 02
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43 comments »
Excuse me, but, this is not a place to live…
Too much don´t-touch-me thing!
I´d be sick of all that white eventually!
I disagree, a place like that would make me feel very relaxed and very insipred to fill the house with my own furniture and art to make it individual.
I don’t like this.
… never heard of handrails? so minimal it forgets the basic things
I would love to run around there with my muddy shoes.
i’ll love to see how this house looks at nite and furnished by the owner.
White is not the color. White is not the soul.
Sensless.
i’ll love to see how this house looks after a year w/ a family living in
Nightmarish. And I like white architecture.
they forgot to paint the grass white.
Dear readers,
This is not a house, it´s a private gallery/studio. I repeat, it´s a private gallery/studio, not a house.
A SAANA project
Hey David, that does not excuse the lack of handrails, I repeat… lack of handrails
You people, read and understand the project before commenting.
It’s an studio, not a ahouse, it’s meant to display the artist’s art and sell it, only the last floor is the private quarters.
I think it’s awesome. I agree about the lack of railings, good they could get away, there should be some laws in mexico about it, even for a private building. Or maybe the photos were taken before placing the railings, a clear glass will do.
And remember that the pictures might be retouched to increase the whiteness.
Sorry.. “White” IS a colour.
The architecture becomes the background. It allow the user to add character to the space by using other elements.. such as fruniture.
As it is a gallery/studio, the whiteness is entirely appropriate. It is a backdrop for the art that the building is designed to contain. The handrails are ‘missing’ , we do not know the reason for this- design intent, or incomplete, or removed to add greater sculptural drama to the photos. Whatever the reason, it does detract form the otherwise excellent project.
Suburban white bunker with a view…
Sometimes I feel that placing buildings in such a manner: at the centre of the lot in a very symmetrical way, especially in Latin-American/Mexican suburbs, goes in the opposite direction as the dynamic intentions so much emphasized with the cantilevers and the slanted walls.
Even do they have carefully selected the images, in some photos the horrible architecture present in such context peeps in.
It´s always good to remember patio schemes in contrast to believing full heartedly in the isolated villa or pavilion scheme.
Very nice construction quality, too much white for me, don´t like the surrounding walls, needs more green and finally I don´t think white is the best color scheme for showing of art. It has a strong glare to it that doesn´t work quite well.
But as somebody said before, it would be cool to have some photos of the place actually inhabited.
why are the stairs not flat on the underside? That seems inefficient for poured concrete….unless its not concrete, then I just dont understand it at all. But I do like all the white, especially if it is a studio.
..it’s so white i can’t see it ;))
too much white….
Xico,
F… the handrails. If you fall its your own fault, you would probably put handrail on anything.
sensational! the art works will pop out in a space like that.
I am american and I do not like this. I like simple wood houses with a big yard and a nice pool on the backyard. In fact, I do not like art, that is for people without a life.
:) enough sarcasm…
You are an American indeed
Nice concept.
Felicidades Tatiana,
Very nice use of the space and with a very interesting way of creating openess effects with the angles. I am not an arquitect I am actually a systems analyst. It is nice to see young mexican arquitects creating and showing this level of work.
Sigan asi y felicidades nuevamente.
Love the white….
it is an art gallery… hence white makes sense. To create an artwork the canvas is always white. It is the paint color and forms that makes the canvas into piece of art. So once this building is occupied with paintings/artwork it will bring out the reason why white…..
handrails… sure makes sense to have them for practical reasons… but at times it is good to think outside the box…. if handrails were must then Venice would have handrails around the canals… imagine how it would feel
very nice and clean look
I just went to a presentation by Ms Bilbao and she said the client ASKED for white and bright. so, for all you people who don’t like it, remember: beauty is in the eye of the beholder.
I think it is a bit severe, but it has an ethereal quality that is very interesting. I think I would either want to whisper or shout while in it…
I don’t like this.
It reminds me of Adolf Loos essay: “The Poor Little Rich Man,”…
of one rich Viennese man who decided to have his entire house designed by an artist. In this case the entire house his dependent to the dictates of a color… poor little mexican…
mucha capacidad espacial
too much white…one of the downfalls of modernity.
haha. funny how people dont read letters, but pictures only.
yes too much white. very clean and nice, also suitable for the program. but since beauty is in the eye of the beholder, i wan contrast… ;)
so the first floor is the gallery isn’t, mh and the kitchen in the gallery space is for?
I C E ну об успешности того или иного проекта можно иногда судить по количеству коментариев…
hi i can accept that white is a color and it can act as back ground for art or architecture but it doesn’t mean to paint compound wall, exteriors every thing in white and way to basement just in front of main entrance ………..????
agree. It reminds me of those George Segal sculptures, his cast lifesize figures painted all white (hair, eyes, clothes). All white!” En el pecado llevan la penitencia”
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