Pre-colonial Brutalism in Mexico

Pre-colonial architecture set between the sea and the forest, or volumes accidentally fallen from the sky (like the meteorite that is believed to have landed here, wiping out the dinosaurs): this is what d.esk's housing project in the Yucatán peninsula looks like. The play on words in the title of the work (Ziggurhut) suggests the image of the “ziggurat”, which can be found also in the typical Mesoamerican stepped construction, and the “hut”, here interpreted more in the idea of an intimate, familiar home than as a minimal dwelling, since the work is conceived to accommodate a large family independently.

The complex consists of two buildings, made of concrete masonry in line with the local building tradition, arranged around a courtyard with a swimming pool that acts as a pivot for community life. The larger, two-storey building houses the master bedroom while the smaller, one-storey building houses the guest rooms. 

A lexicon of vaguely post-modern inspiration connotes the work: the stepped profile shapes seemingly random terraces and projections, on which a pattern of regular windows introduces a methodical geometric rule. The interior finishes reflect the soft, delicate nuances of the exterior, emphasising the brightness of the rooms. Minimal furnishings and monolithic elements (from the sculptural staircase to the fixed furniture) enhance the almost “archaic” character of the house.