Temporary pavilion, Mexico City
in collaboration with Salottobuono

International competition, 1st prize

Location: Mexico City
Year: 2017 - built
Surface: 43 m²
Client: Arquine, Mexico City
Design team: Matteo Ghidoni and Enrico Dusi with Arin Alia, Matteo Bassi, Roxani Maragkoudaki
Engineering consultant: Sinergo Spa
Photos of the model: Louis De Belle
Final photos: ©LGM Studio - Luis Gallardo, ©Juan Benavides

The ROOM is a 43 m² triangular space surrounded by 4 meters-high walls. The walls are built in concrete blocks. The external surface of the walls is raw, the internal one is painted in light pink (RAL 3015). The ROOM has one circular entrance measuring 2 meters in diameter, and a smaller porthole measuring 60 centimeters placed 2,8 meters above the ground level. Both holes are realized with precast concrete elements, such as common sewage headwalls. If needed, the entrance of the ROOM can be closed by placing a couple of solid wood panels in front of it. This is all we can say about the design of the ROOM.

The ROOM includes certain things and excludes others: it separates an interior from an exterior space. It produces a small region where the urban pressure of Mexico City is both absorbed and provisionally suspended. Outside, the walls provide 120 m² of total exhibition surface for the festival purposes. But they can also be painted, used to hold temporary structures, covered with advertisement, vandalized. Inside, a silent "fragment of desert" holds the memory of the origin of the city. It doesn't suggest any specific activity, nor tries to foresee them. Its gentle slope is generous enough to accept the unpredictable.

Finally, the ROOM can be easily dismantled or, rather, demolished. Its ordinary construction material can be collected and recycled. New concrete blocks can be produced from the old ones. But the ROOM is meant to stay. Recycling the pavilion here doesn't necessarily mean moving it somewhere else. Confronted with an expected life-span of two weeks, the effort needed for the production of even the most "ephemeral" architectural work is simply nonsensical. We'd rather imagine, and hope, that the real life of the ROOM would begin at the very end of the festival, when the whole city will finally project its dreams and desires on this tiny artifact.

Enrico Dusi is an architect based in Venice, Italy.
In 2004 he graduated with Master's Degree in architecture at the IUAV Faculty of Architecture in Venice.
From 2007 to 2012 he was a researcher and teaching assistant of the "Master's Degree in City and Territories" at the IUAV University, Faculty of Architecture in Venice.
He has been guest professor at the Faculty of Architecture at the Università degli studi Roma Tre and lecturer at IUAV.
From 2008 to 2014 he was founder and partner of Spedstudio.
Spedstudio's projects have been published in many national and international magazines and exhibited at Villa Noailles at Hyères, France.
In 2015 he established Enrico Dusi Architecture which is working on a wide range of projects.


Contacts

Enrico Dusi Architecture
S.Croce, 1392
I - 30135 Venice
mail@enricodusi.com
www.enricodusi.com


Projects selection (shortcuts to works)

MDC, 2018
MARKET SQUARE, 2018
SANI, 2017
A ROOM, 2017
VR42, 2015
CIVIC CENTRE, 2015
SQROOM, 2015


Projects before 2015

AALST, Masterplan, Aalst BE, 2011-2014 - Competition 1st prize
UMKIRCH, Masterplan, Umkirch DE - 2013
CASA DELLA MEMORIA, Cultural Centre, Milan I, 2012 - Competition 2nd prize
DAEGU, Daegu Gosan library, Daegu KR, 2012
RAUSCEDO, New Rauscedo's entrance, Pordenone I, 2012
GÖSTA, Museum extension, Mänttä FI - 2011
LOS GITANOS, Museum, Sevilla E, 2011
CARSO 2014, Outdoor museum, Gorizia I, 2010
CASA MEDITERRANEO, Cultural centre, Alicante E, 2010
AMBIENTE PRODUTTIVO, Masterplan, Verona I, 2009
TRAUTT, Trauttmansdorff greenhouse, Merano I, 2009
DARCY, Masterplan, Triel sur Seine F, 2009
MTL, Multiplex cinemas, Verona I, 2008
SHOWROOM A3, Cars showroom, Verona I, - 2007-2008 - Built
DEP, House dependance, Gubbio I, 2007 - Built
KLAKSVIK, Masterplan for Klaksvik city centre, Klaksvik FO, 2012
DAEGU, Daegu Gosan library, Daegu KR, 2012