Luis Barragán House and Studio
Encyclopedia
The Luis Barragán House and Studio, located in the Tacubaya
suburb of Mexico City
, was the residence of architect
Luis Barragán
in the years following the Second World War. Built in 1947, the 1162 square meter three-story concrete house and garden reflect Barragán's design style during this period. Today the house functions as a museum, though visits are only made by means of guided group tours. The Constituyentes subway station is very close to the house.
The house and studio were built in 1948, and have since become one of the most influential and representative works of contemporary architecture in the world, recognized by UNESCO
as one of the 29 World Heritage Sites in Mexico
. It is considered a magnum opus in architectural design, and in the world of modern architecture.
The museum (house and studio) is the property of the Jalisco
state government and the Fundación de Arquitectura Tapatía Luis Barragán (Luis Barragán Architecture Foundation).
. The external façade is in keeping with the low-class neighborhood: it was highly important for Barragán not to change the aspect of a street. The entrance hall is quite small, forming as it were an emotional step before finally encountering the house as Barragán designed it, which in his use of vivid color (as he always did) starts to amaze every visitor with the first corridor, which is a quite vivid pink, with yellow spaces.
One of the most important matters in the house is the light: as Barragán always hated the use of ceiling illumination, the house is lit, if not by natural illumination, then only with small lamps always placed on top of a small table.
The magnificent garden (not as big as it may look, but as Barragán wanted, with the feeling of an enormous place) is a complicated puzzle of natural corridors and trees (one of them is only decorative and not actually alive: the architect really wanted another one and decided to bring one without planting it).
Tacubaya
Tacubaya is a section of Mexico City located in the west in the Miguel Hidalgo borough. The area has been inhabited since before the Christian era, with its name coming from Nahuatl meaning “where water is gathered.” From the colonial period to the beginning of the 20th century, Tacubaya was...
suburb of Mexico City
Mexico City
Mexico City is the Federal District , capital of Mexico and seat of the federal powers of the Mexican Union. It is a federal entity within Mexico which is not part of any one of the 31 Mexican states but belongs to the federation as a whole...
, was the residence of architect
Architect
An architect is a person trained in the planning, design and oversight of the construction of buildings. To practice architecture means to offer or render services in connection with the design and construction of a building, or group of buildings and the space within the site surrounding the...
Luis Barragán
Luis Barragán
Luis Barragán Morfin was a Mexican architect. He was self-trained.-Early life:Educated as an engineer, he graduated from the Escuela Libre de Ingenieros in Guadalajara in 1923 and was self-trained as an architect.After graduation, he travelled through Spain, France , and...
in the years following the Second World War. Built in 1947, the 1162 square meter three-story concrete house and garden reflect Barragán's design style during this period. Today the house functions as a museum, though visits are only made by means of guided group tours. The Constituyentes subway station is very close to the house.
The house and studio were built in 1948, and have since become one of the most influential and representative works of contemporary architecture in the world, recognized by UNESCO
UNESCO
The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization is a specialized agency of the United Nations...
as one of the 29 World Heritage Sites in Mexico
Mexico
The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...
. It is considered a magnum opus in architectural design, and in the world of modern architecture.
The museum (house and studio) is the property of the Jalisco
Jalisco
Jalisco officially Estado Libre y Soberano de Jalisco is one of the 31 states which, with the Federal District, comprise the 32 Federal Entities of Mexico. It is located in Western Mexico and divided in 125 municipalities and its capital city is Guadalajara.It is one of the more important states...
state government and the Fundación de Arquitectura Tapatía Luis Barragán (Luis Barragán Architecture Foundation).
Architectural overview
The house is located at General Francisco Ramírez 12 in the Tacubaya suburb of Mexico CityMexico City
Mexico City is the Federal District , capital of Mexico and seat of the federal powers of the Mexican Union. It is a federal entity within Mexico which is not part of any one of the 31 Mexican states but belongs to the federation as a whole...
. The external façade is in keeping with the low-class neighborhood: it was highly important for Barragán not to change the aspect of a street. The entrance hall is quite small, forming as it were an emotional step before finally encountering the house as Barragán designed it, which in his use of vivid color (as he always did) starts to amaze every visitor with the first corridor, which is a quite vivid pink, with yellow spaces.
One of the most important matters in the house is the light: as Barragán always hated the use of ceiling illumination, the house is lit, if not by natural illumination, then only with small lamps always placed on top of a small table.
The magnificent garden (not as big as it may look, but as Barragán wanted, with the feeling of an enormous place) is a complicated puzzle of natural corridors and trees (one of them is only decorative and not actually alive: the architect really wanted another one and decided to bring one without planting it).