Articles by Daniela Cardenas

URBAN DESIGN

URBAN DESIGN

The concept of cantilevered porch rests on two basic and simple pillars, people- and their ways of inhabiting – and landscape, with what the sense of enjoyment brings to them.

The concept of cantilevered porch rests on two basic and simple pillars, people- and their ways of inhabiting – and landscape, with what the sense of enjoyment brings to them.

The project of L residence derives from the need to create a new connection to the dormitories of an existing dwelling in the Valle de Bravo, in a beautiful natural environment. Until now, the houses were accessed through the other ones, so the owners did not feel comfortable inviting friends since they could not offer them a certain intimacy. The initial project also included a new independent two-floors volume that operated as an apartment with living room, bedroom, bathroom and a small kitchen.

How can we create a temporary recycling station in our neighbourhood that would have a positive impact on the community? We do not want the Station to be a rubbish collection point, but a positive asset to the local area. The Community Green Station, located in Hong Kong East, is a pilot project for promoting green living and collection of recyclables at the community level. Completed in May 2015, we turned an under-utilized carpark under a flyover into a public gathering place to bridge the old and new neighborhood within the existing dense residential area.

An old drying loft on top of a 1920´s city block is transformed into two new apartments. It’s a refurbishment as well as an extension with four large new arcs both towards the street and the courtyard. The height of the arcs lets the light flow into the centre of the apartments from both sides where the kitchen connects the dining area and the living rom. Each of the apartments have a rooftop terrace on top of an arc. The project is all about exploiting the qualities that the rooftop situation represents. The minimalistic expression of the arcs are made to match the stripped down facades of the modestly built house without the ornaments and details typically found on buildings in this area. 

The enterprise’s development site is in Madalena’s centre and it aimed in constructing three flats, two of them included in a brand new building. In the intervening area there was already a building included in the urban tissue.

Built as a route, on an exceptional hillock in terms of view and landscape at the foot of the towers of Épinettes, the project was developed around three major goal: 

The project is located in an area of recent urban transformation in Lima, the neighborhood of Santa Cruz. Old mechanical workshops are turning into a new commercial area of bars, offices and housing. The elongated site houses a vertical void (botanical garden) with a semi-urban character. Its boundaries impose a regular line in a discontinuous environment trying to use geometry to shape the city.