Mexican architecture studio Fernanda Canales has designed a semi-open, circular community center for older people in Naco, a town in north-eastern Sonora, Mexico. The “House for the Elderly” is a project for the Secretaría de Desarrollo Agrario, Territorial y Urbano (Secretariat of Agrarian, Territorial and Urban Development). Built with a palette of simple, local materials, the tranquil center’s single level maintains a domestic scale in Naco’s small town center amidst an arid landscape.
The project sits on a triangular plot at the corner of two streets, in an area without paving and public lighting. The 450-square-meter (4,844-square-feet) community center consists of two volumes that maximize the plot’s angular geometry, avoiding residual spaces: the main circular structure opens onto a central patio and fits within the plot’s widest section; a smaller rectangular structure fits within a narrow area at the rear of the plot. According to Fernanda Canales, this small block “serves as a second access and transition zone to generate different gradients between the public, semi-public, and private.”
The main circular building’s patio connects the community center’s different program elements and fosters interaction — larger spaces in which to gather and commune are located at the rear.
The community center’s volumes are made using an exposed concrete slab and column structure and brick walls. The bricks are placed in a range of patterns, creating lattices and modest motifs on the pavement. The perforated brickwork facilitates cross ventilation, while three oculi inserted into the main building’s circular concrete rooftop bring light into the central patio.
“The work integrates existing adobe structures that evoke both the regional spirit and the industrial past of the town,” says Fernanda Canales.
A free-to-use space for older citizens, the community center incorporates a number of amenities, including medical facilities, recreation areas, a kitchen, consulting room, and more. “It is a domestic-scale building designed with accessibility and a sense of shelter in mind,” says Fernanda Canales. “Developed on a single level, it centers around a patio and perimeter gardens to achieve cross ventilation and natural lighting in all spaces. The outdoor areas include walkways and a cultivation garden.”
