Croquis

Mauricio Rocha’s School of Visual Arts was built on the campus of Mexico’s Oaxaca University. Based on an orthogonal grid, the plan recalls a chessboard. On the flat site, a wooded bank of earth was raised around the complex, suggestive of a crater and sheltering the school from external disturbance. A series of individual buildings opens onto shaded patios, offering students a workspace that flows from inside to outside. The use of rammed earth, stone and concrete reflects local building traditions.