Time and Design

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by pajarotoh •

One of the biggest learning curves in building a home in another country is adapting to different approaches and processes for building.

In Canada, labour is expensive, there is a rigid building code, and speed is of the essence. In fact, one company in Toronto boasts that they can add a second storey to your home in three days. With speedy construction, particularly with wood frame houses, there is little room for error and the design must be followed to an exacting degree.

In Mexico, however, the pace is a little slower and many decisions on construction are left until later stages. With inexpensive labour and the flexibility of concrete forms, it is possible to change the design mid-stream, if needed.  The slower pace works to the designer’s advantage, allowing them time to absorb the work and redirect changes as required.  There is a breathing space that enables a more organic approach to construction.  Build a little, stop and review, adjust as required and then move on to the next stage.

I have had a few discussions with Georges Foliot on this topic.  Georges is an Interior Designer (and regular commenter on this blog!) helping his friend in Japan construct a new home south of Tokyo.  Japan has a similar building approach as Canada where labour is expensive, there’s a lot of paperwork and speedy construction of is of the priority.

Georges commented on the differences between Mexico and Japan:

“What I find oddly ironic and really challenging is that, Mexico translates into a culture that is hugely creative and organic in building process and craftsmanship with constant natural surprises. Contrast this to Japan (whose history also holds a marvellous aesthetic of the past), today represents a culture of machine precision and exacting tolerances but holds these factors so rigorously that the softer lines of creativity gets starved out of the building process.”

That’s certainly been our experience working with Cecilia Sanchez and Jose Alvarez where we’ve been able to make changes along the way and had many wonderful surprises that has resulted in a more creative building process.

One of those surprises was the craftsmanship in stone that Georges mentioned.  Here’s one of our walls in the garden painstakingly put together stone by stone.

Another design change that occurred later in the building process was the addition of a skylight over the washbasin in the main bedroom.  It would not be possible on a three day timetable!

It seems that the fast pace is required everywhere these days, but perhaps at the expense of the creative process.

Thanks to Georges for his insightful comments.