In Valle de Bravo, designated Magical Town, we aim to build “Los Limoneros. “For 40 years, this garden has witnessed the growth and evolution of the charming town: its life, traditions, architecture, food, activities and routine reflected in all streets and plazas.
Project Name: Limoneros
Studio Name: MRD arquitectos
The site houses wonderful lemon trees and an amazing garden. Under Don Rubén’s care, its owner, the site has flourished: it has turned into a gathering place, where families come together, and people perform recreational activities or go to find inner peace. The site is an oasis for people and a place that holds indelible memories and life experiences.
The premise which brought this project to life was the idea to interweave the site’s history and values with its context. We were inspired by the site’s current situation and the traditional Mexican architecture in Magical Towns, mainly in Valle de Bravo. Thus, we aim to recreate the idea of alleyways and the most emblematic landscapes in every corner.
We aim for the project to be extension of a contemporary reinterpretation of a Magical Town, which fosters deep connections with the context and everything local. Furthermore, we seek for it to have a positive environmental and social impact by establishing a bond with the town: creating jobs, providing security, and communicating and exchanging ideas with neighboring zones.
The root of this project, and life of it, are the patrons. The users live in a 12-house community connected by a lineal park, which promotes outdoor activities and relationship-building. Additionally, the design allows privacy in each house through blind frontal facades which face the common grounds, and interior facades which give way to private gardens and patios.
Common areas were designed: a dining area, a multi-purpose area, water bodies for exercise or recreation, gardens, sandboxes, an orchard, a wellbeing area for yoga, meditation and introspection activities, and a workshop for arts and crafts meant for children and adults, who’ll work with local artists and artisans. Every corner and setting will showcase works from local artists: details in the landscape, in the furniture, in murals, etc.
The principle of the project is to create an interaction between the architecture, the engineering, the crafts, and the material houses of the area; the latter aims to foster local and artisanal talent thus avoiding globalized serial productions. Our main resources are stones and clay, lumped and flattened parcels of land, ironwork, and pine wood. Vegetation for this project will be endemic and low maintenance; it has grown in this area for hundreds of years, and it will be allowed to grow naturally, without contention or limits.
We want this project to be an example of community among the 12 houses, promoting collaboration and union, and turning this project into a versatile, timeless, and thriving space. We aim for this place to become a source of experiences and a catalyst of happiness for each of the people who live in it: those who, eventually, will grow to become friends and family.
