The city of Puebla (founded in 1531) is one of the fastest growing cities in the las years, its close proximity to Mexico City, strong industrial activity aside its cultural and historic heritage make it one of the most attractive of the country. Its historical center is one of the many important in Latin America and was appointed World Heritage Site by UNESCO on December 11th 1987. It has 2,619 historic monuments, civil and religious architectural jewels, that make unique this colonial city: one of the most visited in the world.
Following the dynamic of locating buildings with value to be reincorporated to its district´s activity with urban acupuncture strategy, Boué Arquitectos intervened a building constructed in 1972, that originally presented a glass facade braking completely the scale and image of the adjacent historic buildings, and lapsing into underutilization and decay in the last years. The architecture firm committed to bring back its vitality under a rescue strategy with a contemporary project integrating 22 apartments (from 38 to 45 sq. m) and two retail spaces in the ground floor, maximizing the existing and adjusting it to make it more comfortable considering its privileged location.
From the exterior the building preserves its preexistence proportions and starts new integration codes from its facades. In both laterals, the building shares urban murals that display an abstraction of colors and elements of its immediate context such as the repetition of the balconies and windows used on the main façade.
On this last one continues a symmetric structuring throughout all its levels including three sectors: the portal entrance, the stone foundation that gives continuity to the following building and the last sector colored in black crowned with a terrace forming the roof garden. The vegetation running along the whole façade breaks the building´s impenetrability.
In the interior the first encounter is with the main lobby and the vertical circulation (lift and stairs) leading towards the apartment levels, each formed by a full bathroom, living & dining room, kitchenette and balcony. On the top level the amenities are located formed by gym, lounge, barbeque, terraces and services. This sector is without a doubt one of the most privileged with views to the volcanoes on the west accompanied by the domes of several religious buildings and to the east the city flanked by mountains.
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