Hasta La Ideas

Design practice Jorge Urias Studio has added three brick blocks with notched corners to an apartment complex in Ciudad Juárez, México.

Known as the DVS 03 Apartments, the three-buildings were an addition to the Villa Serena complex, which features low-rise brick apartments surrounded by common areas, gardens, a gym, pool and business centre.

Jorge Urias Studio, which is based in New York, USA, and Ciudad Juárez, México, completed the 3,250-square metre (35,000-square foot) expansion in August 2023, adding 33 more units to the complex, which already held six other buildings.

“The meticulous study of the site and the analysis of the axes of the original buildings were the starting point in the design process to create direct relationships between the new sector and the pre-existing environment,” the team said.

The three buildings are each composed of three smaller forms, arranged in irregular triangles and connected by open-air, concrete staircases with a thin metal railing. A thin concrete walkway forms a bridge between units on the upper levels.

The blocky forms feature signature “notched” corners that alternate between a corbel on ground floor and a backwards slant on the top floor of the three-story complex.

The 45-degree “cuts” extend the height of the storey and were created by interlocking and offsetting the bricks around a concrete frame.

The one- and two-bedroom units are wrapped in private balconies and terraces that both shade the interior and “create a dynamic interplay of light and shadow on the building’s facade.”

The separation between the unit blocks forms deeper shadows that run the full height of the buildings.

Divided by concrete floorplates that form light grey-coloured datum lines between stories, the red, pink and rust-coloured, brick-clad volumes are differentiated by offsetting the windows and balconies of the second level, creating a set of individuality across the facade, despite relatively similar layouts on the interior.

“These cleverly maximize interior space and double as functional storage solutions within the apartments,” the team said.

“This results in 33 distinct apartments, each with its own character, contributing to a rich and diverse architectural experience.”

The heaviness of the brick and concrete is juxtaposed by delicate metal railings that are inset into the balconies, and white metal-framed sliding glass doors and windows add a bright detail to the facades.

Inside the balconies and within the staircase atrium, the underlying concrete is revealed and finished in an orange-coloured stucco.

Other recently completed brick apartment blocks include a curving, red complex in the Netherlands by Martens Willems & Humblé Architecten and a complex accented with glazed copper-coloured bricks in Iran by Hooba Design Group.

The photography is by Rafael Gamo.

Project credits:

Architecture and Design: Jorge Urias Studio
Design Team: Jorge Urias Garza, Christian Cota, Luz Anaid Maravilla, Salvador Ruiz
Client: Departamentos Villa Serena

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