MM34 | Mar Mediterráneo 34

Located within the historic neighborhood of Tacuba in Mexico City, MM34 consists of the renovation and refurbishment for an abandoned mansion that was originally completed in 1910, which stands out for its eclectic French style.

The approach with the project arises from the intention of generating housing from the recycling of an existing building, to make city and recover part of its architectural culture. To make this possible, an in-depth documentation and investigation of the building was contemplated, where its historical and heritage values were protected by the National Institute of Fine Arts and the National Institute of Anthropology and History.

Within this investigation, the expansionist phenomenon of the city that absorbed this magical neighborhood was identified, presenting different urban and social transformations that left abandoned and deteriorated buildings.

The original project was conformed by a three-story structure with two bays, the first containing the main façade, while the second (in a state of ruins) communicated with the main patio. Considering the above, for the design and intervention process, the restoration of the original architectural and artistic elements on the façade was contemplated, including quarry details, lintels, ironwork, and glass tiles.

Inside, the second corridor was rebuilt through the reinterpretation of the past through a contemporary perspective, raising a volume that frames the sky in the original main courtyard, and portrays the layout of the old portals, through double-height openings with intermittent layout.

The new structure is developed on 3 levels contemplating 7 housing units in total, which were designed as different flexible spaces: loft, studio, single-family apartment, and penthouse; and that interact with each other through the main patio and two complementary patios.

These new spaces adapt to the new ways of living, creating a multidisciplinary, globalized, and interconnected home that at the same time is distinguished by the warmth of silence and introspection. In the end, it is a new layer in the city, which blends in with the pre-existing and marks that continuity of time.

Mar Mediterráneo 34 is an example of sustainability through the recycling and recovery of existing spaces and buildings, which, when re-inhabited, avoid spreading the urban sprawl and promote a sense of appropriation in the inhabitants.

The objective of this intervention is to recover the urban image to generate a legacy that drives the transformation of Tacuba, to enhance and rescue its historical and heritage value, taking advantage of the spaces in a sustainable way to meet the new needs and habitable demands of the generations.