Low Cost Houses for Mexicali: Choice of colors

1976

Work of Art for Project, Hand-painted Exerior

White washed exterior walls faintly tinged with green, and sky blue painted cornices with a golden green hairline above the blue, took a series of color experiments and mockups for two weeks until the mixing of colors was just right to allow the commencement of the painting job.

Created by:

Christopher Alexander, Julio Martinez, Howard Davis, Donald Corner

Content of

Project

Low Cost Houses for Mexicali 1975 to 1977

Mexicali, Baja California, Mexico

Low Cost Housing, Realized , Construction completed in 1977

Client:

Universidad Autonoma de Baja California, Mexicali - Mr. Jorge Nunez, Director of the School of Architecture

C.E.S. staff:

Christopher Alexander, Julio Martinez, Howard Davis, Donald Corner, students and families

Contractor:

Built by the families and local subcontractors under the management of the Center for Environmental Structure

Sponsor:

University of Baja California

Project cost:

$70,000

Project stages:

Pattern language for the project by C.E.S. Layout on the ground by clients and C.E.S. Preliminary Design drawings done after layout Direct Construction management along with on-site design decisions Budget and subcontractors under C.E.S. control Users in

A cluster of houses for large families, with a builders yard, built by the families themselves with the help of students from the Universidad Autonoma of Mexico, and a team of builders from the Center for Environmental Structure. Each house ...

Contents

Photographs

Low Cost Houses for Mexicali: Exterior color details of buildings and fountain - Photographs 01/01/1976

Focus on Details

Photographer:

Christopher Alexander/C.E.S., Mexicali, Mexico

Source:

Digital, Print, Negative

Characteristics:

8"x10", 4"x5", 2 3/8"x3 6/8", Color, B&W

Three photos depicting the use of color on exterior building details and fountain tiles.

References

Scientific Research

Color and Inner Light: The Eleven Color Properties

Areas of focus:

Structure of Space

Guiding idea:

Centers and Fields of Centers

Christopher Alexander postulated that centers and the field of centers they create are the building blocks from which wholeness is made. However, he further argued that geometry alone is not sufficient, and that color is the way wholeness comes to ...

Books

The Production of Houses 1985

Authors:

Christopher Alexander, Howard Davis, Julio Martinez, Don Corner

Publisher:

Oxford University Press, New York, NY, U.S.A.

No of pages:

383 pp

The fifth volume in “The Center for Environmental Structure Series” on architecture published by Oxford University Press, “The Production of Houses” puts Alexander’s theories to the test and shows what sort of production system can create the kind of environment Alexander ...

Book Chapters

Postscript on Color 1985.I.PROHO.PS

Publication,

Book title:

The Production of Houses

Pages:

375-378