Martin is a creative and aspiring designer. He is currently pursuing his Masters of Architecture at the School of Art Institute of Chicago. He likes to tackle challenging builds and stretch his creative and technical limits. As a graduate student and designer, with my exceptional work ethic and love of designing, he can provide personalized attention and creative designs that maximize efficiency and beauty.
City Map, 2024, Map of the city, 48x36 Illustration by Martin Merino
Elements in the Alleys, 2024, Elements, 24x24 Illustration by Martin Merino
With the booming of the mines in the earlier years, people started to flock to the city, allowing for houses to be built first followed by streets. The Guanajuato streets were never planned, nor was it intended to become a big city. This and other factors allowed for the city to develop more than 3,000 alleys and 21 tunnels under the city. The city takes pride in their alleys. Each alley has its own story to tell with people trying to get lost in the them.
With these built conditions, my intention is to focus on these residential alleys. These alleys are used daily as commute routes for residents and are also explored by tourist, who wonder and get lost in these spaces. I intend to design this intervention of refuge to allow for a place of rest for people wondering the alleys. While also creating memories and meaningful experiences. The location of this intervention is in an unusual, undesigned space (the alleys),to ultimately create a space we remember. Considering the human sense and using elements that are already present, the intervention will also activate the sense and memories.