Urban densification is often associated with verticality, increased building height, and the replacement of existing housing. Estudios 46B proposes a different approach: densifying does not necessarily mean building higher, but rather making more intelligent use of what already exists. The project emerges from the utilization of the roof of a 72 m² garage, transforming a minimal domestic expansion into a strategy capable of questioning student housing models and land use in intermediate cities.
Located in Ocozocoautla de Espinosa, Chiapas, the site features consolidated infrastructure, public transportation, and a strategic position within an active urban area. The 333 m² plot is organized into three areas: a single-family home at the back, a central garden, and a garage at the front. The intervention is limited to the latter, using its roof as a habitable plane and occupying only 24% of the land. This decision allows both the house and the garden to be preserved, creating two independent uses that coexist on the same property.
In contrast to the common typology of houses adapted for students—where services are shared and only the bedroom is private—the project proposes compact yet fully equipped units. Each studio concentrates the essential functions of living—bedroom, kitchen, and bathroom—within 13 m². This size is not conceived as a reduction, but as an optimization of space, integrating a complete program into a minimal surface.
The new construction is developed over two levels. On the ground floor, a wall separates access to the existing house from the independent entrance to Estudios 46B, which includes a lobby, staircase, and a first unit. On the upper level, five additional studios are arranged, along with a shared laundry area and an open corridor that promotes cross ventilation and natural lighting.
The spatial strategy seeks to expand the perception of space through rectangular floor plans organized by low walls that do not reach the ceiling, creating a continuous mono-space in which areas are differentiated without fragmenting the volume. Three units align along the façade, while two are arranged in parallel, sharing an open corridor that acts as a transition space and incorporates greenery. The staircase is positioned over a patio, and the circulation culminates in a vegetated end point.
Materiality remains restrained inside, with white walls, dark gray tile, and natural pine wood. On the exterior, a reddish-ochre plaster finish engages in dialogue with the existing brick roof and the local pottery tradition, adding warmth to the volumetry.
Estudios 46B transforms a plot originally intended for a single-family house into a multifamily complex with seven units. The project demonstrates that it is possible to increase buildability without resorting to great heights or altering the urban image, proposing a student housing model that invites reflection on the efficient use of land and new ways of inhabiting contemporary urban contexts.
