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; in a space 7m wide by 20m long, a structure shaped like a peanut is constructed, breaking the rigidity of the overall form.
• 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