Casa Roma México | Cristian Aguilar

Casa Roma is a residential complex with 82 apartments in Mexico City, located on an irregularly shaped property formed by merging different lots facing three different streets and, in one of them, there is a restored historic house that dialogues with two residential volumes that prioritize green spaces and sustainable design. This project symbolizes a new way of building in the city, representing the possibility of improving the environment and the city through projects that integrate sustainability with pieces of history. Among the dense urbanization it generates a lung to give to the city.

The main challenge was to work with an early 20th century house that has been classified by the National Institute of Fine Arts (INBA) as “of artistic value” which is located on one of the lots. The house was restored and it was decided that it would house the access and common areas. From there, the project was solved through a longitudinal compositional axis in the center of the lot where the two new volumes of apartments are located.
The main access is at Bajio Street, creating a corridor that connects the afore mentioned house, the two volumes of apartments, as well as the circulation leading to the common recreational areas, such as the "patios", pool area and gardens. In contrast, the vertical circulation inside each volume consists of two stair and elevator cores that communicate with the semi-basement parking level.

The house was originally occupied by the administration of a school so various changes were made for its restoration. Drywall divisions were removed, the plaster covering of the walls was removed, bricks were preserved, wooden windows and blacksmith railings were restored. Panels were removed to reveal the Catalan vaulted ceiling and fillings that contributed to dampness were removed on floors.

These restoration, reuse and conservation efforts reduce the impact of construction, contributing to sustainability from a renovation discourse.

The most innovative design intention was to generate a microclimate in the area: large green areas on the first floor that ascend along the facades, culminating in the roof gardens above.
Following this line, some of the apartments feature assisted LED lighting associated with Google Home and Lutron, representing a considerable reduction and better management of energy consumption.

For the facades, a new cladding called sandstone was used, which facilitates the panels installation process, requires little maintenance and ensures long-term safety. In addition, soil-structure dynamics studies were carried out.

For this project we wanted to relate the architecture with pure art, that is why there are some elements that enrich the public areas, as is the case of a work of art made by the Peruvian plastic artist Aldo Chaparro, who permanently reside in Mexico; placed in the central courtyard over a water mirror that highlights the piece of art, framed by a green wall behind it. Likewise, in the open green spaces there are murals painted by the Mexican artists Cordelia González and Rodrigo Roji.
Also, on the second floor of the complex, facing Coyoacán Avenue, a space has been set up as a studio-workshop for artists. This space was created with free access for periods of one month, as a grant, to encourage all artists to continue making art.

One of the important premises for us is the development of creative solutions to implement sustainable mechanisms in its projects, improving life quality for its users. For BAJÍO 307 it was important to generate a significant green footprint, a microclimate in the middle of the fully urbanized downtown area; for this reason, the project has green areas on the ground floor, roof gardens on rooftops and 9,200 m2 of green walls. 60% of the property was allocated to free areas (instead of the regulatory 20%) respecting permeable areas.

For the gardens, in addition to all the original vegetation preserved, 50 new resistant specimens were selected, capable of adapting to the sun and shade conditions of the complex, consuming little water. The green walls were designed as a series of openings and ramparts that strategically generate natural lighting and ventilation inside the apartments; they are composed of glass, sandstone panels and species such as aralia and xanadu. In total, 65,000 plants were incorporated that annually generate the oxygen required by 2,400 people, filter 125,350 kg of carbon dioxide and trap up to 361.05 kg of dust.

For the maintenance of all the vegetation, a rainwater catchment system with a capacity of 104,000 liters was implemented with filtration and programmed irrigation systems, supervised by a biologist specialist.

In terms of energy, an intelligent lighting system was implemented with sensors in common areas. The towers are oriented in an east-west direction, which allows for greater solar gain in all the homes without increasing the heat inside the apartments. The Lutron system, programmed to respond to sunrise and sunset, results in a significant reduction in electricity consumption.
These technologies that make the complex self-sustainable reduce the pressure that would be exerted on the area in terms of provision of water and energy resources, which is a serious unattended problem in Mexico City.