Mexico City, Mexico
Mexico City’s rich cultural history shape the capital’s vibrant and diverse urban landscape. From the Metropolitan Cathedral (built from 1573-1813) to the airy Casa Luis Barragań (built in 1947) and the volcanic Museo Anahuacalli - Mexican designers embrace the old and the new.
Casa Luis Barragań
I first discovered the work of Luis Barragań on the cover of "Architecture of Happiness" by Alain de Botton. The book explores how architecture affects us and how design can bring out the best in us. Architecture seeks the life philosophies shared between the designer and the inhabitant, so it’s always a treat to see how an architect designs their own home.
Museo Anahuacalli
Designed by Diego Rivera and Juan O’Gorman. The museum houses Diego Rivera’s personal collection of Pre-Colombian arts in the style of Mesoamerican.
The exterior embodies an authoritarian presence, while the interior is designed to resemble a tomb.
Bosque de Chapultepec, Coyoácan and Roma/Condesa Neighborhood
The capital’s urban consciousness is reminiscent to my hometown Surabaya, Indonesia. Forest-like trees are pesent throughout the Roma/Condesa neighborhood.
Bosque de Chapultepec at 686 hectars occupies twice as much urban land compared to New York’s Central Park. The park houses multiple the Chapultepec castle and museums (just to name a few):
Castillo de Chapultepec (Historic Castle)
Museo Nacional de Antropología (Anthropology)
Museo Tamayo (Contemporary)
