Mexican architects from the V Taller studio have created a paradisiacal estate centred around the ‘Tower of Babel’. The tower is like the pupil of the estate in the plan of an eye. Interestingly, the aim of the project is to make the best use of limited space and create an aesthetically pleasing, comfortable enclave in the Yucatan jungle. The buildings are made of local materials, care is taken to recirculate water, and lush vegetation can be seen among the soft pink stucco.
La Muralla Roja
For years, the tourist city of Tulum on the Yucatán Peninsula has been struggling with massive logging for new hotel developments. For this reason, the V Taller studio wanted to present a diametrically different philosophy of estate building. The Babel project cares about landscaping, sustainable use and an eye-pleasing aesthetic that is reminiscent of Ricardo Bofill‘s former projects. The architecture of the estate is also inspired by the shapes of buildings by Indian architect Balkrishna Doshi, who created spectacular Brutalist forms. Interestingly, Doshi collaborated with another important modernist, Louis Kahn, who you can read about HERE.
On a plot of 3,510sqm, the development managed to be built offering over 6,178sqm of living space. Although there is no indication of this, Babel houses as many as 59 flats of varying rental character. The buildings are arranged in the shape of an eye and the central courtyard is a small market of the enclosed city.
The delicately pink buildings are characterised by soft, rounded shapes, and their elliptical window openings look like the ventilation grilles of a machine. The tower standing in the middle is a reference to the biblical Tower of Babel, which in this case has rather positive connotations. Surrounded by water and local vegetation, the tower is intended to create a communal space for the residents. A narrow staircase leads up to the tower and the openings in its construction let the sun’s rays through. On one side, the tower is the pupil of the eye and on the other, the gnomon of a large sundial. This element is also a reference to the open roofs of Turkish baths.
The green eye
Each flat consists of a kitchen, living room, bathroom, bedroom and garden with jacuzzi. The interiors have been kept in a style that is appropriate to the whole. Local wood, stone and touches of white are noticeable, and the whole is encapsulated in the familiar soft pink. Interestingly, the facade of the buildings has been made of a Yucatan stucco called ‘chukum’. The elevated lime rock content of ‘chukum’ makes the façade well insulated for heat, and the material and its colour are more durable.
The unusual shape of the buildings also has a practical reason. The layout of the flats supports the natural flow of air, which is then cooled by water and vegetation from the courtyard. Furthermore, the curved shape of the roofs and the stucco façade reduce the amount of heat absorbed. With these solutions, the architects have reduced the cost of ownership. Another such idea is the simple way of storing rainwater. In several areas of the estate, the ground has been made of materials that allow water to flow into an underground tank. In addition, the loose substrate filters the water and a large part of it is used to irrigate the lush vegetation.
Tulum has succeeded in creating a thoughtful and aesthetically pleasing estate of the future. What’s more, the solutions based on the forces of nature are an ideal and efficient response to the climatic challenges of the hot Yucatan. The holistic design of the V Taller studio even takes into account the use of local materials, and the whole project was realised by local construction companies. By the way, it is good to see contemporary designs that Ricardo Bofill himself would not be ashamed of.
Photo source: V Taller(Albers Studio, Spaces by Conie, Lazarillo, Daniel Villanueva)
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