Articles by Mónica Arellano

Aguascalientes is a small state in the heart of Mexico, located 480 km northeast of Mexico City and nestled between the states of Zacatecas and Jalisco. With just 5618 km² of territory, it is Mexico’s third smallest state. It’s capital and most populated city is Aguascalientes, or “hot waters” in English, is named for the numerous hot springs found throughout the area.

Sonora is a state located in the northwestern region of Mexico geographically bordering the states of Arizona in the United States, Chihuahua, Sinaloa and facing the Sea of Cortez. It has 179,503 km² of surface being the second least extensive state in the country. Its capital and most populated city is Hermosillo. However, other important localities are Ciudad Obregón, Guaymas, Nogales, Agua Prieta and Navojoa.

“Abandonment Copies” is a research project created between 2016 and 2018 by artist Sandra Calvo consisting of a film, archives, drawings, interviews, and a video display which was exhibited in the Mexican pavilion during the 2021 Biennial of Venice. The project highlights architecture as a reflection of the migration process between Mexico and the United States, comparing and contrasting the houses where migrants work in the US and the ones they build in Mexico with the remittances they send.

Text by Mónica Arellano. Located in front of the Pacific Coast and immersed in the landscape of La Barra de Colotepec, in the state of Oaxaca, Mexico, and designed by the Mexican architect Alberto Kalach, Sforza House develops from the idea of being aware of the environment, the contemplation and respect for the environment that is described as a “(…) place on the Oaxacan coast –where the delta of the Colotepec river converges with the sea– the sabines, the mangroves, the tulles and the oaks embrace this exuberant refuge to privilege a reunion with the essential and natural beauty without artifice. “

When looking at the population of the world’s metropolises, in this case Mexico City, the reality is that the majority of the people living there have migrated from other regions of the country and, sometimes, from other countries as well. Of course, thanks to the Covid-19 pandemic, companies and schools have gone virtual, and, with their work and studies no longer tied to urban centers, people have left in masse for the coast and other less populated areas in search of space and lower living costs.

Chihuahua is a Mexican state in the northwest region of the country, sharing a border with Coahuila, Durango, Sinaloa, and Sonora as well as the US states of New Mexico and Texas. Chihuahua’s largest urban center is Ciudad Juárez, an industrial hub situated on the U.S.- Mexico border right across from El Paso, Texas. Throughout the years, Juarez’s economic landscape has been dominated by the maquilladora industry and, thanks to the crime wave between 2008-2012, it earned a spot on the list of the world’s most violent cities.

San Luis Potosí has become one of Mexico’s busiest destinations for both national and international tourism. Thanks to a population boom throughout the state, Mexican architects have dedicated themselves to designing residential, cultural, and recreational buildings that highlight the region’s architectural style and traditions. In this article, we present a few of these projects to illustrate a portion of Mexico’s vibrant and varied architecture.

Sinaloa is a state located in the northwestern part of Mexico bordered by the states of Sonora, Chihuahua, Durango, Nayarit, and by the Gulf of California to the west. It consists of over 58200 km² of territory and is the agricultural hub of Mexico.

The Master of Advanced Studies ETH Zurich in Architecture and Digital Fabrication (MAS ETH DFAB) is the educational program of the world’s leading interdisciplinary research cluster on digital fabrication and robotics in architecture, the National Centre for Competence in Research (NCCR) Digital Fabrication at ETH Zürich. It is organized by the Chair for Digital Building Technologies and the Chair of Architecture and Digital Fabrication (Gramazio Kohler Research), two pioneering research groups in the field.

Mexico’s Valle de Bravo region, to the southeast of Mexico City, is characterized by the Presa Miguel Alemán lake, created in 1947 as a reservoir for Mexico City and Toluca’s water supply. Thanks to its proximity to the capital, Valle de Bravo is a popular weekend destination for residents of surrounding cities. This in turn has sparked the interest of various architects, who have aimed to create projects that enhance visitors’ experience such as offering an optimal view of the lake, or an immersive experience in the surrounding forest.