Baja California Sur, Mexico, March 2024_ The National Workers’ Housing Fund Institute (INFONAVIT) of Mexico, through the Center for Research for Sustainable Development (CIDS), developed the research project called “From the land to the inhabitant”, aimed at improving the quality of self-construction, a common practice in Mexico.
The program commissioned different architects to design a prototype of housing in different communities throughout the country, thus responding to the diverse geographical, political, and social contexts of each place. In other words, assisted self-construction housing that became part of the Housing Laboratory in Apan Hidalgo, constructing 32 out of 84 prototypes in one place, becoming the epicenter of research on sustainable materials and future social housing projects.
Architects Israel Rodriguez and Andres Guzmán Chávez were in charge of the prototype for Mulegé in Baja California Sur, focusing mainly on flexibility. The concept of this house embraces a structural matrix that allows the addition or subtraction of modules according to the program or the needs of each family. Each module accommodates the main life functions and can be interconnected through an open space that allows for future extensions.
The outdoor porch serves as the main social space and hierarchical element in the South Californian Ranch, reflecting the vernacular typology of the site. This space is reinterpreted and enhanced with a set of columns or frames that function as an open volume preceding the entrance and serve as protection against the region’s climatic conditions.
Particularly noteworthy is the integration of contemporary and affordable construction techniques, such as reinforced concrete, with local materials and resources like palm, adobe, and wattle and daub. The latter, wattle and daub, is a traditional construction system that uses interwoven canes or wood covered with mud, offering remarkable durability, flexibility, and quality to the housing. The cost of the housing was 180,000.00 Mexican pesos (MXN), equivalent to around 10,500.00 US dollars (USD).
The deliberate choice to incorporate wattle and daub into the design highlights the connection with local traditions and facilitates self-construction in a more accessible manner by using readily available materials in the region. This approach promotes sustainability by allowing inhabitants to build their homes more easily and efficiently utilize local resources. This pioneering project demonstrates that the fusion of contemporary techniques with traditional elements can have a significant impact on improving the quality of life and housing in low-income communities.
