Puebla, Mexico

Designed by Valdez Arquitectos the 19th-floor residential complex Best in Black located in the city of Puebla, Mexico, is a project that aims to create a new kind of residential building.

The project was recently awarded with a 2020 International Architecture Award from The European Centre for Architecture Art Design and Urban Studies and The Chicago Athenaeum.

Having up to nine different types of apartments for the diverse needs of the people, the building consists of three parking levels with a lobby, 15 levels with a total of 32 apartments, including a luxury penthouse on the top floor and a whole floor with amenities like a fitness TRX center, steam rooms, a game room, a party room, and a terrace.

The interior design of the apartments represents an industrial design meeting Mexican architecture; the materials selected like wood, concrete, marble give the space a warm look, and through the palate of colors, white and black represent the idea of the facade on the interior design.

The facade comes from an idea, the brick game; this old version had the same principals of the nowadays popular game but in an old black and gray version.

The four different kind of facades are clearly inspired in a random placement of the Tetris game shapes, forming the walls and windows of the building.

The overall layout of the builidng remained as the traditional rectangular form, in order the materials and types of shapes of the Tetris pieces to become more obvious.

Meanwhile, the dark tones of the materials are based on the absence of color in that particular old version that the young future architect treasured for years.

The great location of the building, at only 18 minutes from the immensely rich cultural downtown, together with the elegant and warm touch of the chosen materials upgrade this residential complex to an architectural landmark of the unique city of Puebla.

Project: Best in Black
Architects: Valdez Arquitectos
Client: Asfalto y Asociados
General Contractor: Valdez Arquitectos