Javier Senosiain

Javier Senosiain is a Mexican architect celebrated as a key exponent and explorer of so-called organic architecture.^[1] He is currently a professor of architecture at the National Autonomous University of Mexico (UNAM).

Early life

Javier Senosiain was born in Mexico in 1948.^[2]

Career

Javier Senosiain's architectural creations have attracted both comment and controversy. A house at Vista del Valle, north of Mexico City sits on a hill overlooking the city and is designed in the shape of a shark. It is a ferro-concrete construction coated with polyurethane and UV-resistant elastomeric waterproofing. Inside it comprises a complex labyrinth of rooms and interconnecting carpeted tunnels.

Organic Works

• Organic House, Naucalpan, Edo. De Mexico, 1985, The organic house is born with the idea of creating an area adapted for man, according to his environmental, physical and psychological needs..
• The Snake, Mexico City, 1986, near Cuicuilco Pyramid, and Autonomous National University of Mexico campus; the project comprises an auditorium, a library and classrooms among others.
• Peanuts Housing Complex, Edo. De Mexico, 1990, en un terreno de 7m de ancho por 20m de largo se desplanta una estructura que asimila un cacahuate, rompiendo con la rigidez del conjunto.
• The Shark, Edo. De Mexico 1990, an extension of the organic house, where we can find a study with magnificent views.
• Mexican Whale, Edo. De Mexico, 1992, build with a pneumatic structure, adapting man and nature..
• Flower House, Naucalpan, Edo. de México 1994, build with a pneumatic structure, the house with central yard looks like a six petal flower.
• Satelite Complex, Edo. de México 1995, four semi buried houses. The facade resembles a wings open eagle.
• Grave of Jose Alfredo Jimenez, Guanajuato, México 1994, grave of a Mexican composer José Alfredo Jiménez, an open chapel in Dolores Hidalgo, Guanajuato.
• The Kiss, Naucalpan, Edo. de México 1999, caseta de vigilancia con la famosa forma del conocido chocolate Kiss.
• The Nautilus, Estado de México, 2007, In this work the floor is the logarithmic spiral, adapting itself to the land.
• Quetzalcoatl's Nest, Estado de México 2007, in a land of 5,000 m2 with irregular topography we found this apartment complex, with a snake head as a symbol and representation of the pre-Hispanic god Quetzalcoatl

Publication

• Senosiain, Javier. Bio-Architecture Oxford, England, Architectural Press.
• Senosiain, Javier. Organic Architecture, Mexico City, Mexico, AM Editores. 2008 | ISBN 9709726900

References

External links

• Official website of Javier Senosiain
• Video del periódico Ciudadnorte sobre el Nido de Quetzalcóatl de Javier Senosiain
• Jo Tuckman, Snail space, The Guardian, 26 July 2008
• Raul Barreneche, In the belly of the beast, Interior Design, 2003