AMIRÁ is located on top of a hill above the city of Querétaro, offering privileged views of its surroundings, a fundamental aspect of our design process to achieve reciprocity between the architecture and the city. From the first site visit, it was clear that the views would be the foundation of the project, guiding our decision-making process and resulting in an elongated volume parallel to the contours of the land, with a front that opens to the landscape and a back dedicated to circulation and services.

The project comprises 126 residential units, organized in superimposed and offset blocks of regular geometry, where each unit receives natural light and ventilation. Thanks to the volumetric solution and the location of the project, every unit and most amenities enjoy views of the city, with a strong connection to the exterior through elongated terraces that provide shade and large windows.

The regular geometry of the housing blocks is pierced by angular, porous, and permeable bodies that house the common and recreation areas, highlighting the different uses and dynamics of the program. These areas extend into the void, cantilevered and semi-open, providing users with quality spaces that promote community coexistence.

The rear façade resolves the vertical and horizontal circulations and faces the entry plaza, while the main façade features transparency, oriented toward the city, with extended terraces that create shadows and mitigate heat gain inside, given its west-facing orientation. In terms of materiality, two distinct shades of exposed concrete were chosen for the façade, which, as the sun sets, take on the ochre and earthy tones of the surrounding scrubland.

AMIRÁ reflects our stance as an architectural firm in Mexico, questioning how to avoid typical generic housing by creating quality spaces that challenge the assumption that there is a trade-off between quality housing and economic feasibility, enriching the narrative of housing development.