Young entrepreneurs have a lot of concerns, but a space to live and work shouldn’t have to be one of them.
Young, new business owners have a lot on their plate. There are the business startup costs, and then running the business is an ongoing and expensive concern. Factor in personal expenses, particularly housing, and you’ve got a heavy burden for up-and-coming entrepreneurs to bear.
Those are the concerns that Arquidromo architects factored into the development of “el domo de tampiquito” in Monterrey, Mexico. And like all good architects, they knocked it out of the park.
All in One Design Combines Life and Work
The el domo de tampiquito building is part residence, part business, according to Design Boom. Plenty of other businesses have worked well in a similar way, but not exactly like this. Consider a shop or pub in a city with apartments above where the owners lived and you’ll have the general idea.
What makes this different is that it’s not two distinct spaces that just happen to sit close together for the sake of convenience. The el domo de tampiquito building is one unit where home and work blend together, which can reduce expenses for young entrepreneurs.
Large, open spaces encourage the collaborative working environment than many startups prize.
The Rental Unit Benefits Fledgling Businesses
Arquidromo hasn’t disclosed the owner of el domo de tampiquito. But they have explained that it was created as a rental property. The goal was to offer cash-strapped business owners a way to live and work in a well-designed, efficient space that wasn’t a burden on the bottom line.
Space was another important factor, so the design has as few interior walls as possible. The openness maximizes square footage, which gives the occupant lots of freedom to work, collaborate, and live without feeling confined.
Multi-level buildings can join home and work almost seamlessly.
Light Was the Main Challenge
The location of the building limited the possible number and location for windows. Because local zoning only allowed them on the front side, the heavy, gray concrete and industrial elements of the interior would have been overwhelmingly dark. The solution was a central dome approximately 4.5 meters diameter with a spiral staircase leading up.
The dome allows in natural light, and the lack of interior walls let’s all spaces benefit from it. The dome also acts as a solar chimney, says Design Boom, which keeps the building cool as hot air rises up and out, which keeps the entire building cooler.
The industrial design of el domo de tampiquito is on-trend, especially for startups, but there’s a lot more to this building than its looks. The whole concept – a space for young entrepreneurs to live and work affordably until they’re ready to move on – is one that could benefit many communities.
In Monterrey, Mexico, and around the world, architects don’t just design buildings – they create functional spaces that address a problem and seek to correct it.
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