Mercatram Balancán combines key functions for community well-being: a traditional market, a bus stop, a center for community development, and a space for waste treatment. The scheme seeks to favor a more conscious relationship with the environment and a sustainable use of the natural resources.

The core of the project is made up of two porticoed buildings that house the market, which unfurls over a raised platform in response to the rainy climate of the region. These buildings perform as an open pedestrian corridor that connects streets and plazas in the area, guaranteeing urban flexibility.

The project includes a covered volume, also porticoed, the upper floor of which harbors the Center for Community Development, conceived as a large open and flexible space, with mud latticework facades the let natural light and constant cross ventilation. The roof, of floating mud tiles, favors thermal convection and maintains the interior fresh without needing mechanical systems. This arrangement in plan and in section permits multiple configurations and uses: workshops, assemblies, educational and cultural activities, all within a limited budget... [+]