FRENTEarquitectura: Mini-studio

Mexican studio FRENTEarquitectura has recently completed an art studio in Mexico City. The studio is located in a small site in the backyard of a middle-class house, which was originally occupied by a storage room. Using trapezoidal shapes and with a careful control of perspective, the design emphasises vanishing points, achieving a dynamic and fluid space.

As the site faces south, the main challenge in the construction of this art studio was to avoid the entry of direct sunlight into the space, but maintaining the view towards the garden. To achieve this, FRENTEarquitectura thrust the upper-level volume southward to project its shadow over the large ground-floor window that connects the studio with the exterior. The sloped roof slabs blocks the sun from the working area, allowing uniform light to penetrate the interior. Inside, double-height ceilings tie together both levels, amplifying the scale.

The mezzanine rests over a wall at the back of the studio and extends into the garden, dissolving the outline marked by the floor, and integrating the garden into the space. Simultaneously, the ground-floor glazed door opens from side to side, erasing the border between interior and exterior. The top of the façade produces a triangular shadow which varies throughout the day, adding dynamism to the volume.

FRENTEarquitectura: Mini-Studio
Location: Colonia Del Valle, Mexico City
Constructed Area: 48 square metres
Footprint (plot size): 27 square metres
Design Year: 2010
Construction Year: 2011
Architectural Design: Juan Pablo Maza
Project Team: Daniel Nava, Estefanía Hoth
Building System: Traditional low cost building system
Structure: Reinforced concrete slab foundation; load-bearing red brick walls confined with reinforced concrete elements; concrete slabs in mezzanine floor and roof
Finishes: Floors: Epoxy coating (2-3mm paint); Ceiling: Gypsum plaster, finished with paint; Interior walls: Gypsum plaster, finished with paint; Exterior walls: Cement based plaster, finished with paint