Foundations of freedom

EP: In the 1500s, European architecture, particularly religious constructions, became significant in Mexico. However, pre-Columbian architecture, such as the Mayan and Aztec cultures, also played a major role. These civilisations left behind monumental structures, including pyramids and other constructions. The encounter between these two architectural traditions created a rich foundation for the country. As time progressed, Mexico developed a modern solid architectural tradition. Notable Mexican architects include Teodoro González de León, Pedro Ramírez Vázquez, and, of course, Luis Barragán. Where I studied, at the Escuela Tapatía de Arquitectura, there is a deep philosophical foundation, which is well reflected in the high quality of the buildings produced.

More recently, architecture in Mexico benefited from the country's freedom. There is a great deal of creative liberty, especially in architectural expression. Regulations are more relaxed than other countries, allowing architects to explore diverse and innovative designs. I spent a couple of years completing a master’s degree in Barcelona, and during that time, I observed the strict regulations in Europe. I’ve also directly contacted American architects and witnessed the extensive building codes they must follow. In contrast, Mexico is much more flexible in this area. This flexibility, combined with the energy of the younger generation, contributes to a unique architectural environment. Young people today are more aware of art, local traditions, and culture and produce excellent work. I see it regularly through social media, publications, or books. I am constantly impressed by the new architects emerging in the field, their talent, and the remarkable buildings they are creating.

Mexico has a great deal of architectural talent. While I am not an expert in economics, I recognise the influence of factors like nearshoring, better management of national income, and proximity to the wealthiest country in the world. These contribute to economic growth, which in turn impacts culture and architecture. There are also more students and passionate individuals pursuing architecture. Once I was invited to lecture in Los Mochis, Sinaloa. The teachers there told me that university enrolments in most fields dropped significantly during the pandemic. However, architecture was the only field that maintained its numbers. Now that life has returned to normal, enrolments are increasing every year, reflecting the growing interest among young people in making meaningful contributions to the country’s architectural landscape.

Paving the way for the boom

EP: The last 15 years have been transformative for Mazatlán. When I arrived in 2004-2005 for a project, a fascinating house with a great deal of creative freedom, the architectural style in Mazatlán was predominantly post-modern. There were many pitched roofs, roof tiles, and heavily decorated façades, resembling a California style. The house I worked on was more minimalist, with a clean, contemporary design, which was difficult for people to accept or understand at the time. Over the years, this contemporary architectural language became more accepted and widespread. About seven years ago, a local politician, Quirino Ordaz-Coppel, who came from a family involved in the hotel and tourism industries, was elected governor of the state. His focus on public space and infrastructure brought significant changes to Mazatlán. One of his first projects was the renovation of the Malecón, the beachfront promenade. This was followed by various urban renewal projects. Ordaz-Coppel also worked on improving the streets in the Centro Histórico, replacing concrete with cobblestone and adopting urban strategies seen in other parts of the world. These included removing parking spaces from streets to create wider sidewalks and constructing parking facilities to keep cars off the roads, making the city more pedestrian-friendly. He implemented an excellent lighting project in the Centro Histórico and planted native trees to enhance the landscaping. Additionally, he initiated several strategies, including hosting the annual Tianguis Turístico, a major tourism trade fair in Mexico. In 2017 or 2018, Mazatlán was chosen as the location for this event, attracting many tourism investors from across the country. This put Mazatlán in the spotlight as a prime location for developing tourism projects.

Another key factor was the construction of a new highway connecting Mazatlán to Durango. Previously, the journey took about eight hours on a narrow, two-lane road through the mountains. The new toll road, called the “super carretera,” significantly reduced travel time to two or two and a half hours, with large bridges and many tunnels to navigate the mountainous terrain. This made Mazatlán more accessible to people from the Bajío region, who began visiting and became interested in purchasing second homes there. As a result, there has been a surge in real estate development, with numerous condominium towers, apartments, and houses being built. Much of this development is driven by people from the Bajío region buying vacation homes. This rapid influx of investment and tourism has transformed the city, leading to exponential growth over the past seven years.

Mazatlán is now firmly on the map. Recently, we had the eclipse, and NASA named Mazatlán as one of the best viewing spots. The city was filled with Europeans and visitors we rarely see here, making it a fortunate moment for Mazatlán.

Designing the destiny
EP: Our start was fortunate in many ways. My first project in Mazatlán was a restaurant-bar developed by one of my brothers and his partners in 2001. It was one of my earliest projects, just after finishing school. After that, I returned to Guadalajara. Then, in 2004-2005, another brother invited me to design his house. That project holds special significance for my professional growth and for the office because it had three unique factors. First, we had no limit on ideas, allowing us to explore every concept. Second, there was no budget restriction, which gave us the freedom to propose and execute a high-quality project. Lastly, we had plenty of time to develop and refine these ideas. The combination of creative freedom, sufficient resources, and ample time made this project truly special. The house turned out to be a significant project with many details, marking a milestone for my work in Mazatlán. In the following projects, we always aimed to replicate the same three conditions: creative freedom, no budget limits, and time to develop ideas, though they were never fully repeated. I remained determined to achieve that level of freedom, both in the projects and within the office. As we continued to work on houses and commercial projects, I constantly questioned and sought ways to improve. 

This curiosity led me to pursue a master's degree in Barcelona, a city renowned for its architecture. The programme, called Master en Arquitectura Crítica y Proyecto (Critical Architecture and Project), was crucial for my development. After two years of study, I returned to Mexico, eager to apply the theory I had learned. Around that time, one of my entrepreneurial brothers decided to invest in education with some partners, and they developed a crucial private-public school in Mazatlán. We created Colegio Rex, where I applied much of the knowledge gained during my studies in Barcelona. We designed and helped build the school, which significantly impacted our local practice. After that, we became involved with the Colegio de Arquitectos, the local architects' board, where I joined the urban department. We began working together, making proposals for the city through the board. In 2012, we formed a partnership and created Colectivo Urbano, an urban design studio where we all contributed. At that time, we approached political candidates running for mayor, and they welcomed us, listening to our ideas for city projects. 

When Carlos Felton won the election, he invited Colectivo Urbano to collaborate on city projects. Our first public project was the renovation of Carpa Olivera, a well-known sea pool in Olas Altas. Initially built in 1936, it was part of a restaurant damaged by a hurricane and later demolished, leaving the pool neglected for many years. Despite this, locals continued to use the pool. When Felton asked which public space we wanted to work on first, we chose Carpa Olivera. In 2015, we redesigned the area, adding a sculptural water slide that became an immediate success. The project attracted attention both locally and internationally. The Mexican curator featured it at the Venice Biennale, and it was always filled with people locally. We also won the Silver Medal for Public Spaces at the Bienal de Arquitectura in the region. This project marked a pivotal moment for our office, as it sparked our focus on architecture, public spaces, and landscaping, which remain our three main areas of operation today.

A journey of growth

EP: From that first project, where we had no limits, we developed a mindset of always seeking creative freedom. This made us quite stubborn, and maintaining the office was difficult at times because we struggled to find that same level of freedom in later projects. Although we never fully achieved it again, we kept pushing forward. Through our involvement with the Colegio de Arquitectos and Colectivo Urbano, we organised three architecture congresses in Mazatlán, connecting us with many architects nationwide. These relationships inspired us to continue with the studio. Now, after all these years, the studio has gained the trust of our clients. They recommend us to others, and new clients see our website and the work we've developed over the past 15 years. This trust has brought us larger commissions, and the studio is now managing a significant number of projects. It feels like a pivotal moment in our journey.

We are currently working on two significant condo hotel projects. One is a combination of a hotel and condominiums with 118 units, the largest of the two, featuring amenities like a cinema, pools, water play areas for children, and extensive landscaping. The second project is a condotel with 42 units, and both are already under construction. One is located in an area called Sabalo, part of the tourist zone in the north, while the other is in the Marina, also in the northern part of the city. We are also contributing to a large local housing project called El Cielo, where we are developing public spaces and landscaping. This area is of particular interest as we’ve discovered a growing passion for integrating landscaping with architecture. Our work increasingly focuses on creating a harmonious balance between landscape design, urban spaces, and architecture, becoming a beautiful synthesis in our projects.

Sensing spaces through climate, comfort, and drawing

EP: Looking at our body of work, including our buildings and landscaping, you’ll notice a wide range of expressions. This is because we are always exploring new architectural languages. However, one constant in our designs is the consideration of our location within the Tropic of Cancer. The local climate and physical conditions heavily influence our approach. Mazatlán’s hot and humid weather, especially during spring, summer, and part of autumn, is a key factor in our designs. The climate here is very different from places like Durango, Guadalajara, or Mexico City. With temperatures high for about eight months of the year, we focus on analysing sun paths, wind directions, and using air pressure to improve airflow. We also work closely with landscaping to enhance the climatic comfort of our buildings. These are two important aspects of our work.

Recently, we have become very interested in materials, particularly the textures and micro-textures of natural, exposed materials. We have experimented with exposed brick, coloured concrete blocks, rammed earth, exposed concrete, and plaster with integrated colour. This exploration of materials is fascinating for us. Beyond the physical aspects, our guiding principle is how our work can contribute to people's happiness. We constantly ask ourselves how our buildings can enhance well-being, comfort, spirit, and sensitivity. Since humans are multi-sensory, we think about how architecture can engage with all the senses, through scale, light, texture, and even smell. These elements shape our designs, and this pursuit of creating a positive impact on people's experiences is at the core of our practice.

We have a highly modular approach, a tectonic method. We section the building, then bring the parts together, while integrating landscaping into the voids, which has become a significant part of our research. This approach evolved over time. It started with the first house we developed in Mazatlan, which was a very intuitive process at the time. As we studied the masters and developed more mature projects, this concept has become more prominent, responding directly to our ongoing interests. The physical aspect of the weather, especially in Mazatlan's tropical climate, is a key focus. Additionally, we aim to influence how people experience living in our buildings. This relationship between indoor and outdoor spaces is central, moving from an enclosed area with low light to an open, bright space filled with vegetation. This approach to shaping people's emotions is a primary interest in our work. By working with sections and creating voids, we can address these intangible elements, like atmosphere, climate, and the indoor-outdoor connection. 

Building milestones

EP: We have always engaged in collaborations. In 2015, I invited Estudio Macias-Peredo from Guadalajara, who are close friends, to collaborate on developing Colegio Maria Montessori. This unique, experimental project emerged from that partnership. The modular design, with its hexagon in plan view, provided an excellent response to these shared interests. What we learned from this project has influenced subsequent work, though there were also a few earlier projects. It became a milestone, addressing the physical challenges of large-scale land use while incorporating our ongoing interest in landscaping. Additionally, it expressed a vision for the city and contributed to the development of local architecture.

Colegio Maria Montessori and Colegio Rex are both significant projects. More recently, two years ago in 2022, we completed a project called Urbina 65. It is a small hotel that reflects many of our interests and is particularly compelling due to its compact design. Despite its size, the landscape is fully integrated into the project. It also includes an analysis of materials and the physical conditions, such as weather, prevailing winds, and sun trajectories, which intrigued us. The building's promenade is another key aspect, as it encourages the user to explore, discover various spaces, and experience the building in different ways.