This concept for The Barrio embraces simplicity and clarity through form. The building is conceived as a 50-foot cube, matching the width of the lot. Within this volume, four stories and four units across yield twelve live-work lofts above a ground-floor commercial space. Each unit is 11.5 feet wide and 435 square feet—efficient yet long enough to allow a flexible layout, including one bedroom or even two compact bedrooms.
Designed as live-work lofts, the units support a flexible lifestyle—whether working from home, running a small business, or engaging in creative practice. Generous ceiling heights enhance the spatial quality, bringing in natural light and a sense of openness that belies the compact footprint.
Each unit features a recessed balcony tucked just behind the breeze block façade. Large sliding glass doors open onto this private, shaded outdoor space—protected from the intense southwest sun but still offering air, views, and a strong indoor-outdoor connection. The breeze block screen filters light and sightlines, creating a space that is both open and enclosed.
All twelve units are democratic—each enjoys equal access to light, air, and street views through the screen. No unit is disadvantaged, reinforcing the project’s commitment to fairness and balance.
The defining feature of the front elevation is the square breeze block screen—a brise-soleil tailored to the building’s southwest exposure. This perforated surface filters harsh afternoon sun, reduces glare, and dramatically limits heat gain, making the building highly energy-efficient. At the same time, it preserves outward views and provides privacy, lending the façade a strong visual identity while performing critical environmental work.
The façade is also dynamic, responding to light and use. During the day, it reads as a mostly opaque, sculptural surface. At night, the screen becomes semi-transparent, revealing a glowing pattern shaped by the light and life within each unit. Additionally, the façade becomes an active canvas: during events in the ground-floor commercial space, projections can animate the surface, turning the building into a civic participant—visible, expressive, and connected to the neighborhood.
Circulation is located at the rear, along the I-5 freeway. This placement buffers the units from vehicular noise and pollution.
The result is a rational, site-specific response—an efficient housing typology wrapped in a poetic grid, grounded in environmental logic, flexible living, and urban clarity. The cube form itself is inherently efficient, minimizing surface area relative to volume to reduce heat gain and energy loss. While contemporary in execution, it also nods to the bold, monolithic geometries found throughout Mexico—from pre-Columbian architecture to the measured clarity of Barragán—quietly linking the project to a broader cultural lineage of powerful, purpose-driven forms.