Studio Rick Joy’s latest project, a five-story apartment building with two separate units, is set on a quiet street in the thriving, upscale neighborhood of Polanco, in the heart of Mexico City. It’s a departure from the firm’s usual work—the Tucson-based studio tends towards poetically minimalist homes surrounded by sweeping natural landscapes. In Tennyson 205, the firm successfully instills a sense of place and greenery within an infill project set in a bustling city.

The structure is surrounded by buildings on three sides and open to the city at its west facade, and it features a restrained material palette informed by local building traditions. The board-formed concrete facade is defined by sprouting greenery and sharp angles that catch the light. This design language continues inside, where three plant-filled light wells create a lush inner landscape while ensuring that daylight reaches the lower levels of the structure.

The cast-in-place board-formed concrete plays against the warm wood-paneled ceilings and hardwood floors. It also helps to make the structure earthquake resistant. Blackened steel elements add a chic, industrial touch—from the street-level gate (which leads to a shared courtyard filled with foliage) to the slim, custom-made casement windows used throughout the apartment. Scroll ahead for a look inside the light-filled interiors.

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Project Credits:

Architect: Studio Rick Joy / @rrrrickjoy, Rick Joy

Local Architect of Record: FRB Arquitectos Asociados

Interior Design: Studio Rick Joy, Rick Joy, Natalia Zieman Hayes

Builder/General Contractor: P&G (Rodolfo Padilla and Gilberto Gomez)

Structural Engineer: Rodolfo Padilla

Landscape and garden design: Entorno Taller de Paisaje

Lighting Design: CLL Concept Lighting Lab LLC, Claudia Kappl Joy

Cabinetry: Montealban, Liliana A. Matadamas

Mechanical, Electrical, and Plumbing: IESH InstalacionesIT / IT/Security: Jorge Walls

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This Rick Joy–Designed Apartment in Mexico City Is Filled With Light and Greenery