Emotional architecture and it´s influence on habitability. The Ortega garden house by Luis Barragan.

Abstract

The purpose of this article is to learn a little more about the first work of the architect Luis Barragán in Mexico City, which embodies the concepts that would later be defined, in collaboration with the German artist Mathias Goeritz, by the term emotional architecture and its influence on habitability. The study was limited to the fields of architecture and environmental psychology. Due to the characteristics of the research, it was decided to use a qualitative methodology. As an instrument, a semi-structured interview was conducted with the inhabitants, taking into account architectural and psychological aspects, since the purpose was to trigger a conversation. Ortega's garden house can be considered a laboratory in which the architect experimented with paths, colors, textures, materials, scales, furniture, indirect light, etc., with all the ideas and elements that would later characterize his style. According to the inhabitants, there are two different positions about the habitability, on the one hand, an architect who admires the work and all the elements and spaces that make it up, and on the other hand, two ladies who say that the house is not functional because certain rooms are not connected, there are many uneven areas, the ground floor is damp, cold and dark. In conclusion, they would prefer to live in an apartment. With these testimonies, it can be debated whether an architect's private house will continue to be useful, habitable or adaptable for other people with characteristics and needs completely different from those of its author.