For the design of a flexible market on the outskirts of Mexico’s Matamoros city, Colectivo C733 looked to local vernacular constructions that help to combat the hot climate and lack of humidity.
Key features
Matamoros in the northeast of Mexico experiences long, hot summers, with temperatures reaching the mid-30s. To make buildings habitable in hot weather, architecture in the region often features dense façades to protect the interior from direct sunlight, and inner patios for natural shading and thermal control. For the Matamoros Public Market, a group of designers known as Colectivo C733 (Gabriela Carrillo, Carlos Facio, Eric Valdez, Israel Espin and José Amozurrutia) relied on such techniques, while also organizing and orienting the building to protect the market stands from the strongest rays, and designing the roof volumes so that hot air can escape. Furthermore, the roof’s construction incorporates a layer of brick for thermal insulation and galvanized sheet metal for rainwater harvesting and heat reflection.
Frame’s take
Besides offering a striking example of passive cooling techniques, the Matamoros Public Market is impressive for its rapid turnaround time: three months for design and three for construction. Oh, and throw a limited budget in there, too. (Colectivo C733 incorporated prefab elements to achieve a quick, affordable outcome.) It’s commendable that the designers didn’t simply rush to fulfil one need, but looked to the building’s future in terms of post-occupancy: not fixed in function, it’s what the collective calls a ‘flexible system for the community’. As the world battles with insufficient and unaffordable housing, quick turnover in commercial buildings and rising temperatures in once-cool climes, future architecture will have to take all these factors into account. It’s encouraging to see designers like those at Colectivo C733 already working towards that end.