The Architect
Born in Guadalajara, Mexico, Alvaro Moragrega has earned respect with a distinguished academic background. His credentials and projects are renowned and well-recognized.
Table of Contents
- The Architect
- Zapopan, Mexico: A Vibrant Ecosystem
- L&J Casa Residential Project: A Mexican Mid-Century Modern Masterpiece
- L & J Casa: Technical Specifications
- The Living Room
- Adjacent to the Dining Area
- The Kitchen Area
- The Bedroom, Bathroom, and Dressing Room
- L&J Casa Image Gallery
- L&J Casa Floor Plans
- In Conclusion
Architectural Credentials
| Architecture from the Instituto Tecnológico y de Estudios Superiores de Occidente (ITESO) | Participated in an exchange program with the Universidad Iberoamericana de México |
| Masters in ‘Architecture degree program from UCLA | Masters’ Degree of Architecture by the Universidad Politécnica de Cataluña with a scholarship from the same university in the program Master de La Gran Escala, La Arquitectura de Los Nuevos Entornos under Eduard Bru |
| Doctorate of Architectural Projects also at the Universidad Politécnica de Cataluña with many projects under Tonet Sunyer in Barcelona | Co-founded Hipogeo in 2000 in the city of Guadalajara, Mexico |
| Taught at Instituto Tecnológico y de Estudios Superiores de Occidente (ITESO) University for two years from 2002 | Founded his architectural firm in Guadalajara, Mexico in 2007, where he currently lives and works |
The Architectural Firm
In 2007, Alvaro Moragrega founded his architectural studio in Guadalajara, Mexico. He has notable mentions of his academic pursuits. He was selected twice as a forerunner for the Obras Cemex Award and received honorable mentions for Seattle’s “Urban Intervention: The Howard S. Wright Design Ideas Competition for Public Space” competition and a competition for the “City Town Square” on Medina del Campo, Spain.
Zapopan, Mexico: A Vibrant Ecosystem
Zapopan is a city in the state of Jalisco; the project is in the Guadalajara Metropolitan Area and the home of Alvaro Moragrega. The second-largest city in Jalisco is Zapopan, which is close to Guadalajara. Zapopan is famous for its Virgin Mary (Virgin of Zapopan) built in the 16th century, has been credited for miracles, and was visited by Pope John Paul II in 1979.
They derived Zapopan from the Nahuatl word “tzapotl” or “sapote,” which means “among the sapote trees.” They also nicknamed the city a former corn village (“ex Villa Maicera”) as it once was a significant corn producer. In 1541, they found the town.
Close to seventy-five percent of Zapopan’s land is dedicated to agriculture and livestock. Fifteen percent of the city’s land is forested, with the rest devoted to urban environments. The region is rich in various crops, including mango, avocado, tomato, sorgo, maize, pumpkin, plums, pigs, and poultry.
The region’s economic profile may be surprising to the uninformed. Only three percent of the population works in agriculture, but thirty-three percent work in industry and manufacturing. Companies like Coca-Cola, Motorola, Intel, Flextronics, Sabrina, and Jaguar have operations. Yes, even Walmart, Home Depot, and Office Depot are here. The remaining sixty-four percent of the population works in trade and related services.
Given the region’s diverse economic profile, Zapopan has many shopping malls, private hospitals, and high-cost residential areas. Zapopan is the second-richest city in Mexico, only behind San Pedro Garza García of the Monterrey Metropolitan Area. They claim it to be one of the wealthiest regions in the Americas. This will help you understand why there is a beautiful Mid-Century Modern home like the L&J Casa in Zapopan.
Zapopan is home to Centro Cultural Universitario, a major cultural venue in Western Mexico and the home stadium for the Mexican soccer team, C.D. Guadalajara. The fundamental structure of Centro Cultural Universitario is the Auditorio Telmex, a vital concert venue for Latin America.
Zapopan is also famous for its original municipal fair started in 2005. The Zapopum Festival has transformed the city into a significant cultural event center. It is a reference point to spread culture to any audience familiar with other shows. In 2009, the Festival featured circus and acrobatic acts from Italy, Germany, England, and Spain. The Zapopum Festival attracted 800,000 in recent years before the COVID-19 pandemic.
L&J Casa Residential Project: A Mexican Mid-Century Modern Masterpiece
It’s no surprise that Alvaro Moragrega was able to be involved with Casa L&J in Zapopan, given his proximity to home but also supported by the rich economic profile of some of its residents.
More clients seek privacy in their residential affairs and projects. Many still seek inspirational views but expect more privacy depending on their personal desires. This project was built adjacent to a golf course in Zapopan, Mexico. Alvaro worked to achieve some balance and designed an L-shaped scheme for the client.
L&J Casa’s central area leverages mid-century modern appeal, encasing glass and steel, to act as a barrier between private sections of the home and the adjacent golf course. The entire home features a pitched roof with black tiles and emulates a shotgun shack, an extended, narrow distribution of spaces between public and private areas.
A shotgun-style home is a narrow, rectangular residence. They arranged rooms between each other, and doors appeared at each end of the house. This was a very popular style in the Southern United States from the end of the American Civil War through the 1920s. The style has other names such as shotgun shack, shotgun hut, shotgun home, or for a multi-unit, the shotgun apartment. We can recognize this design for its similarity to railroad apartments which emulate the passenger train/rail car.
The historical lineage of the shotgun shack is murky. Some reports have traced the style back to Africa and may relate to the Haitian influences on residential homes in New Orleans. Similar shotgun shacks are found with homes in Florida (Key West, Ybor City), Texas, or Chicago.
What is past is prologue. The shotgun home was famous for the poor and middle class but is recognized mainly as the symbol of poverty in the mid-20th century. They destroyed many of these homes through urban renewal, but with gentrification in some areas, residents fought for historical preservation and their renovation upkeep.
L & J Casa: Technical Specifications
| PROJECT NAME | Casa L&J |
| ARCHITECT | Alvaro Moragrega / arquitecto |
| LOCATION | Zapopan, México |
| PLOT | 20343.79 Square Feet |
| PROJECT AREA | 7965.29 Square Feet |
| PROJECT YEAR | 2018 |
| DESIGN TEAM | Carlos Ruiz Palomino, Emanuel Goñi, Karen Camacho, María José Galindo, Arthur Dalloni; Structural Design: Cero Motion – Juan Jesús Aguirre; General Contractor: Gruval |
| RENDERINGS | Artisan Render |
The Living Room
At one end of the modern mid-century home, the main entrance unfolds into a robust and spacious living space with a dining area, fireplace, and piano. Following through, a wooden enclosure contains a storage area and bar and helps to deflect views from the garden.
Adjacent to the Dining Area
Next to the dining area, Tapia glorifies the structure, a rammed earth material. Rammed earth (Taipa in Portuguese, Tapia/Tapia in Spanish) is a construction technique for foundations, floors, and walls. They make it of natural raw materials like gravel, lime, chalk, and earth. It sets a beautiful tone for any mid-century modern interior, connecting natural elements to a modern interface and structural design. Thumbs up for the earthy feel.
Within proximity of the dining space, there’s a guest bathroom, laundry room, and pantry. The Tapia divides the main living room from the kitchen and family room.
The Kitchen Area
They designed the kitchen with a custom-built structure. It has a beautiful island to support a small stove and makes room for a TV and bookcase at the end. They blocked the view from the golf course, forcing golfers to look at the garden and pool areas. Privacy guaranteed.
The Bedroom, Bathroom, and Dressing Room
A hallway connects to the home’s bedroom on the other side of the L&J Casa.
The bedroom is constructed with Tapia (rammed earth) and is about 2.30 feet below the exterior, supporting perfect views into the pool or garden from each bedroom.
Wall composition has a visual yet appealing lateral pattern for each Tapia column on one side, with support from wooden doors and walls on the other. This provides a division between the bathroom and dressing rooms.
L&J Casa Image Gallery
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L&J Casa Floor Plans
In Conclusion
We are very impressed with Alvaro Moragrega’s residential project in Zapopan, Mexico. His efforts to create balance with clean, contemporary elements are both natural respect to both mid-century modern and efforts to historically preserve shotgun architecture; sadly, a symbol of poverty in the United States during the mid-20th century.
Source: V2comnewswire
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