Wednesday, February 6, 2008

Barragan restored

Great to see that Bernardo Gomez-Pimienta and his company BGP have breathed new life into a old design by one of my favorites architects - the masterful Luis Barragán. The house is located in Mexico City in the very hip Colonia Condesa neighborhood.

It's a small house originally constructed in 1937. It consists of two floors and a small outdoor space. It was among the first houses built by Barragán after his return from Paris where he met people like Le Corbusier. Until this renovation the house was in a poor state - badly affected by the earthquakes of 1956 and 1985. It's wonderful to see the care taken with this new restoration which brings the house up to a very contemporary level without destroying the details. Clearly care was taken - they even dug the paint down till they found the original Barragán green. An unusual shade for him and much gentler than the stronger colors he is renowned for. In the first photo here you can see how Barragán plays with light, shadow and color - something that he would take to a masterful level ten years later with his own house in the Tacubaya neighborhood. I had the delight of visiting that paradise a few years ago on my birthday and have still not recovered. It returns to me weekly if not more. If I ever do get to build the house growing in my head it will most certainly includes elements from Barragán.



"I think that the ideal space must contain elements of magic, serenity, sorcery and mystery." Luis Barragán






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