Articles by Clara Ott

Architecture’s main concern has been the city, its future and its transformations, but the future of the city may be the countryside in the face of climate and political collapse. Casa Calixto allows us to reflect on the possibility of offering rural contexts in the creation of new biopolitical realities.

Mango House is located in the historic downtown area of the city of Merida. It is displayed as an exemplar of “re-inhabiting” the area and recovering the habitability of a plot of land with natural elements and preexisting buildings of certain characteristics, which condition part of its continuity, expansion and presence inside its urban context and its interior.

The house sits on a rocky point, as a beacon to the sea, with two fronts towards the Pacific coast. The cross-shaped courtyard has four seven-meter-high volumes, with a pitched roof that frame views to the sea. The conceptual process started from the idea of defining two compositional axes, creating a cross-shaped patio that articulates the 4 volumes of the project. These volumes were key to achieve an adequate integration between the architecture and its immediate surrounding. The different angles in plan and section that configure the volumes were designed with the purpose of allowing the user to have ocean views from any room, and formally merge with the rocky landscape of the beach.

Located between Tepoztlán and Amatlán in the State of Morelos, the Hotel Tepoztlpán designed by the Carlos Marín and Pasquinel Studio Workshop Offices integrates the topography, the landscape and the views of the Tepozteco in a master plan where 4 buildings with different architectural programs explore the virtues of the site. The land was an abandoned plot, where wild vegetation, along with several medium and tall trees were located naturally on the site. From the beginning, this natural condition and respect for the flora of the site was a determining factor for positioning each of the volumes that comprise the project. Another condition that the terrain presents is its rugged topography, the access volume -a staple of pigmented concrete- is located at the foot of the sidewalk, and as we go deeper into the terrain we discover the 4 buildings, the terrain dictated the terrain and program of each of the buildings. The gentle ramps and staircases allow us to reach the pool area, which is -2.5m from the access level, while the room building makes the first forced stop for the user to the center of the land and to an altitude of – 1.20m.

Architecture is constantly changing and adapting to new needs, which are linked to social, economic, technological, political, and demographic changes. In this sense, the aging population is one of the most outstanding changes of the 21st century: The increase in life expectancy and the decrease in fertility rates mean that the older population is increasingly numerous. How can architecture help to provide a better quality of life, promote the autonomy, dignity, and well-being of the elderly?

Haus Koeris is a private home that is situated among tall pine trees on a lot near a lake in close proximity to Berlin. As a structure entirely made of wood, the building is elevated from the ground to minimise the impact on the land and to avoid contact with the seasonally damp soil. The irregular shape of the house stems from the position of existing trees. Five boxes are arranged in a staggered layout with the individual rooms overlapping each other allowing for connections between them. The shifts in the floor plan create small patios and green niches along the building‘s perimeter. Some of these alcoves are sheltered from wind or hidden from views, others capture the sun and thus create pleasant microclimates. The recesses give the residents various opportunities to use the exterior as inhabitable open air spaces in dialogue with the internal rooms, proposing a new relationship with nature where indoors and outdoors blend into each other.