INFONAVIT, the federal institute for workers housing of Mexico, is the largest mortgage lender in Latin America. Founded in 1972, the Mexico City-based institute has played a critical role for families across Mexico attempting access to decent housing. The institution has launched an experimental housing research project with the help of 32 prominent architects and firms. The project aims to create housing prototypes that reflect up-to-date thinking in the realm of social housing design as well as examples of promoting a better quality of life for its inhabitants.
The low-cost housing prototypes are built within the City of Apán, in the state of Hidalgo, Mexico. After being constructed, the houses are now undergoing testing and evaluation to help validate the research project’s goals of equitable social housing. Participants include Mauricio Rocha + Gabriela Carrillo Workshop, Dellekamp / Schleich, Cano | Vera Arquitectura, Frida Escobedo Architecture Workshop, Ambrosi | Etchegaray and Zago Architecture. In addition, Esrawe Studio aided in designing low-cost furniture collections for the homes that are created by craftspeople throughout the community.
When seen all together, the display of prototype housing comprises an intriguing array of hopeful designs promoting the city of Hidalgo’s people and vernacular architecture, as well as INFONAVIT’s goals for proliferating affordable, low-cost housing.
