A family event recently prompted us to take a short trip to Puerto Vallarta and Sayulita, Mexico. The simplicity, innovation and expressiveness of the architecture there very much inspired us.
There is so much beauty here! We especially loved the rich colors (including the reddest red…), the simplicity of shape, the richness of textures. It seemed much more art than just architecture. More expressionism than space-engineering. More poetry than technical writing. Just reinforced with me the point that American architecture has been reduced to an (almost) Germanic Funktionsarchitektur, a sort of utilitarian engineering, lacking the pure flame of inspiration, or simply cohones...
Less is more? That certainly seems to be the case with Mexican architecture: You can tell a lot of it has been built with a tight budget in mind. Nonetheless much is beautiful. Stairs are narrow and steep, made out of concrete, the bamboo railings are sturdy and about 2 feet above the top of the treads. You’ll find sliding doors on the second floor without a railing. Sort of a built-in Darwinian filter system…
I also loved some of the playful detailing of the buildings. Bands of stone meander across sidewalks, surround pools, outline parking lots. And these or not just flat stones, no, they are beautiful, matching river pebbles, set on end in concrete, creating a wonderful texture under your bare feet. It was also evident in the exterior painting of buildings, for which the walls were often used like a canvas, making small windows pop out, or framing a door like a portrait of a loved one. No effort was spared to create palappas over windows, so they could stay open when it rains. Balconies are decorated with brick tile patterns, allowing air to pass through, while conserving privacy. 
The use of form and color and the way in which natural materials are combined with very modern elements were captivating and reminiscent of some of Corbusier’s work we’ve seen in Chandigar, India. It took us both back to our roots in design school, and you might notice some of these elements surface in future Zeitgeist projects…
I could go and on...
I hope to weave these inspirations into my work from here on out. I also hope to incorporate some of the Mexican savoir vivre in my life and work. To work hard, yet to enjoy life as if took place on the beach in Sayulita… Anyone thinking about building a concrete house? It’s way greener than a lot of these allegedly green materials!
