Excerpt: CYTA, designed by Archetonic & Atiko Arquitectos, insistently looks for a careful integration with the natural and urban environment. The façade is composed by balconies and terraces with plants–in pots that are integrated to the structure, an Irving wrought iron screen, and sober framings. The facade coexists with its surroundings and the trees that face the street. The building and apartments are designed to provide an intimate haven within CYTA amidst all that dynamism and energy.
Project Description
[Text as submitted by Architect] CYTA is located in the heart of Hipódromo Condesa, one of Mexico City’s most vibrant and shifting neighborhoods.
The buildings’ design solution insistently looks for a careful integration with the natural and urban environment.
The façade is composed by balconies and terraces with plants–in pots that are integrated to the structure, an Irving wrought iron screen, and sober framings. The facade coexists with its surroundings and the trees that face the street. The vegetation of the city intertwines with that sprouting from the building creating a harmonious experience with the outside, both for the user and the building.
One of the neighboring buildings was classified a heritage site; this led us to shape our volume to achieve a striking gesture of integration. Considering that the side face will never be obstructed, we saw the opportunity to integrate our frontal and side façade with the neighboring one in the upper levels, interweaving them as if it was a seam.
The building and apartments are designed to provide an intimate haven within CYTA amidst all that dynamism and energy. The building has 25 units, all of which receive natural light and ventilation. Most of them are comprised within one story that includes balconies and there are some distributed in two stories. The units on ground level have small patios. In the top of CYTA, there is a common roof garden that has amazing views to the neighborhood and the city.
Vertical circulations are concentrated in the core of the building. We took advantage of this space to bathe the halls and common areas with light and ventilation and we carefully designed a steel stairway formed from continuous frames and circular elements that fade in color as they rise, getting clearer as they meet the light that comes through the upper dome. In this way, the color gradient gives its own personality to every level of the building.
The finishes and building materials are basic, pure, honest and, in good measure, local; seeking to give the project an everlasting aspect that withstands the test of time and that it identifies with its setting.
CYTA embeds itself into the city offering an urban lifestyle and a coherent design environment–from the small details to the building’s total design concept, resulting in a project with added value for its users and the city.
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