Sonata: A Symphony of Design and Functionality

Arkham Projects' Award-Winning Housing Complex in Mexico

The inspiration for Sonata came from a quest for intimacy through design. In a city filled with multiple housing complexes, Arkham Projects was tasked with creating something unique, yet affordable. The solution was found within the architectural program itself, turning a necessity into a fundamental element - the stairs. The stairs not only serve a functional purpose but also become an integral part of the building's aesthetics.

Sonata's design is a testament to the power of simplicity and repetition. The project, which initially revolved around cost, ended up focusing on creating an environment of intimacy, harmony, and curiosity. The result is a sincere project where function and aesthetics are one, where complexity and simplicity blend to become Sonata.

The housing complex was built using traditional Mexican construction methods, with cement block walls, joists, and vaults. The main materials are concrete and steel, but the dominant color is white. The white color acts as an integrator, allowing the sun to take center stage, painting the facade with light, and turning the project into a canvas where the shadows of the stairs and the trees can be seen in different forms throughout the day.

Sonata consists of four units of 134sqm each, with social areas on the ground floor and on the rooftop. The stairs play an important role in terms of privacy from the outside, but also prevent visitors' circulation through private areas when accessing the roof. Each unit has a backyard and two parking spots, protected by two existing trees and three new ones.

The design encourages interaction among its residents, creating a micro-community within the complex. Whether in the parking space, the rooftops, or the open stairs, people can easily exchange a few words, or at least say hello. The stairs offer privacy and intimacy from the outside-in, but at the same time, it allows the people living there to feel part of an urban tribe, the Sonata tribe.

The Sonata project is a testament to the power of design and functionality working in harmony. It's a wake-up call for new generations of architects to explore more creative ideas where everything has a reason to exist and not so much into expensive unnecessary materials that could or could not be essential for the projects. Sonata is a white canvas in which the facade’s elements and the sun play to create different paintings with the shadows created by the stairs and the trees throughout the day.