MXN ARCHITECTURE
MXN Architecture explores fundamental relationships between architecture, community and nature through sustainable, humane design. Buildings and places feel most alive when they engender a strong sense of community and when they sit harmoniously with nature. Where this relationship occurs successfully, people tend to feel comfortable and enjoy improved wellbeing.
Research clearly shows that contact with nature is essential for both physical and mental health. Buildings must be designed to strengthen our relationship with nature and wildlife. Internal spaces should include natural materials, give views of gardens and the sky, and have windows that open to the breeze and birdsong. External spaces, both within and outside of cities, should be abundant with trees, hedges, and wildflowers to provide rich habitats for wildlife.
It is vital for buildings to feel fully embedded within local communities so that they read as part of a larger whole. The design of a building needs to extend beyond its perimeter, to mend the shared 'in between' spaces. In this way buildings, streets and neighbourhoods may become loved and cared for.
These are not radical ideas: straightforward and logical perhaps. These are ideas that in previous ages were inherent in the organic development of villages, towns and cities. Contemporary architecture, at whatever scale, must ensure these ideas are once again fully considered and implemented.
Designed as consultant with Neil Kahawatte Architects