RECONCILIATION
Re-thinking the ideas surrounding death: Home in Tlatelolco, Mexico City
Tlatelolco has been a prominent place since it was a market in Aztec times. Its architecture represents Mexican history and culture. Being there, one can find archaeological remains from the Aztec marketplace next to buildings from the Colony and a large, modern housing complex from the 1960s.
In chantli tonalli comes from Nahuatl (the Aztec’s language) and translates
to “the house of your soul”. This is the name of the Hospice because it is a spiritual shelter for its inhabitants. It is a place that provides palliative care and emotional support to the terminally ill; a place where people can experience life and death as the Aztecs did: an endless circle, where both parts make each other possible.
The design originates from the axes and modulation set by the XXth century buildings. The only parts that are positioned differently are those destined for the dead. The structure consists of concrete columns arranged in a grid that liberates part of the ground floor, creating large open spaces where patients can relax.
