Located within the historic city of San Miguel de Allende, Indigo is a contemporary residential enclave that draws inspiration from Mexico’s architectural heritage while embracing modern design principles. Located in the El Caracol neighborhood, just a short distance from the city’s UNESCO-listed historic center, Indigo reflects the city’s vernacular language while proposing a refined, minimalist intervention that reinterprets the traditional Mexican hacienda.
Indigo Residences Technical Information
- Architects1-11: 1i Arquitectura
- Location: San Miguel de Allende, Guanajuato, México
- Area: 4,900 m2 | 52,743 Sq. Ft.
- Completion Year: 2020-2022
- Photographs: © Ariadna Polo
It thrives on the essence of using few yet significant materials, vast and well-lit spaces, and the pivotal play of patios that illuminate the interior, giving the residences their distinct identity.
– 1i Arquitectura Architects
Indigo Residences Photographs
Spatial Qualities: The Cloistered Experience
Designed by 1i Arquitectura, Indigo is an exercise in controlled spatial composition, using natural light, material restraint, and enclosed courtyards to craft a serene, cloistered atmosphere. Unlike conventional residential developments that prioritize external showmanship, Indigo turns inward, creating a spatial dialogue between public-facing and intimate private spaces, achieving a balance between openness and enclosure.
The spatial organization of Indigo is fundamentally introspective, a strategy inherited from colonial courtyards and cloistered monastic typologies. The project relies on a series of patios, acting as mediators between indoor and outdoor environments. These open-air voids play a crucial role in maintaining the rhythm of the spaces, providing passive ventilation, and ensuring an abundance of natural light without direct exposure to the harsh sun.
One of the most striking aspects of Indigo is its hierarchy of spaces, which allows for a seamless transition from public to private areas. The circulation flows through a sequence of semi-open corridors and shaded patios, where the play of light and shadow enhances the movement experience. Instead of traditional, rigid spatial divisions, Indigo’s layout fosters a more fluid and organic interaction between different home areas, reinforcing a sense of retreat and tranquility.
Additionally, the human scale of the project is carefully curated. Unlike grand-scale developments that often disregard proportion, Indigo employs low-rise structures and courtyards to establish an intimate relationship between residents and their surroundings. The architecture, therefore, serves not only as a physical framework but as a sensory experience, reinforcing calmness, privacy, and connection to nature.
Materiality and Construction: Between Tradition and Minimalism
Indigo’s material palette is deliberately restrained yet deeply tactile, drawing from local craftsmanship and contemporary architectural methodologies. The primary materials—brick, concrete, plaster, and oak—are used precisely, almost sculpturally, intentionally. These elements work together to balance warmth and austerity, with the exposed materials speaking to regional traditions and modernist simplicity.
The choice of materials reflects the philosophy of minimalism, where each element has a functional and aesthetic purpose. Brick, traditionally associated with vernacular Mexican architecture, is reinterpreted in Indigo through clean, monolithic surfaces. Concrete and plaster provide subtle textures, reinforcing the project’s quiet yet profound architectural presence.
Broader Architectural Significance: Indigo in Dialogue with San Miguel de Allende
As an architectural typology, the hacienda has historically represented Mexico’s land, space, and domestic life integration. Indigo reinterprets this archetype through a contemporary lens, distilling the essence of cloistered courtyards, robust materiality, and spatial introspection into a modern context.
The project’s most remarkable success lies in integrating into the urban fabric while maintaining a distinct identity. Unlike many contemporary developments that adopt superficial historicism, Indigo avoids decorative pastiche and instead engages in a genuine architectural dialogue with San Miguel de Allende’s evolving urban landscape.
Indigo Residences Plans
Indigo Residences Image Gallery
About 1i Arquitectura
1i Arquitectura is a creative architecture firm specializing in the design and conceptualization of spaces, employing an integrated design approach to develop clear strategies centered on user experience and problem-solving. The firm is led by Rafael Martínez Saucedo, who is passionate about the transformative power of design in improving quality of life. With experience in residential, commercial, and office real estate projects, 1i Arquitectura applies its expertise to create innovative spaces that seamlessly blend modern aesthetics with cultural heritage, as seen in projects like Indigo in San Miguel de Allende.
Credits and Additional Notes
- Design Team: 1i Arquitectura y Diseño Estratégico
- Principal Architect: Rafael Martínez Saucedo
- Landscape Design: Matorral
- Lighting Design: 1i Arquitectura y Diseño Estratégico
- Civil Engineer: Andres Casal
- Structural Engineer: Andres Casal
- Environmental & MEP: 1i Arquitectura y Diseño Estratégico
- Supervision: Inmobiliaria Marquisa
- Visualization: Rendercraft + Taller Ver3D + 1i Arquitectura y Diseño Estratégico
- Construction: 1i Desarrollos
- Client: Inmobiliaria Marquisa
