espacio 18 turns painting factory into a cacti-infused restaurant in mexico

espacio 18 arquitectura recycles to create moza’be restaurant

just a few minutes from downtown oaxaca, mexico, an old painting factory is transformed into a restaurant seeking to become a benchmark of gastronomy for the area. designed and carried by espacio 18 arquitectura, moza’be stands as an architectural intervention to a preexistence. consequently, the acupunctural renovation maintains key elements of the previous structure while creating a luxurious desert through the cacti-infused space.

the entrance through restaurant moza’be

all images courtesy of espacio 18 arquitectura

photographs by amy bello

the renovation seeks to become a benchmark of gastronomy

from an ex-painting factory to a restaurant, moza’be by espacio 18 arquitectura recycles, reuses and reinterprets the existing design. around a central patio that references traditional mexican architecture, administrative areas, services, storages, a kitchen, a playroom and various dining areas are revealed. the most crucial and powerful intervention becomes the steel roof that embraces the century-old olive tree as the hanging metal sheets generate protection towards the west while providing the first visual peek towards the street.

‘the property had built spaces that generated a large free area and a central patio, which we kept as the heart of the project since it refers to the oaxacan colonial architecture, around the patio as an intermediary, the routes are generated, generating fluidity and connection between each of them,’ explain espacio 18 arquitectura.

the most powerful intervention within the project is a steel roof around the 100-years-old olive tree

local quarries contribute to moza’be’s sustainability approach

the materiality seeks to respond to the budget and the low maintenance of the project as it makes use of earth paints, steel in structural interventions, polished concrete indoors and the use of clay outdoors. due to the nature of the site, the landscape responds in a similar way to a low amount of water due to cacti, using quarries from the region.to add further to the sustainable approach, the columns of green quarry found on site become the benches of the restaurant.

‘moza’be is a project that seeks, without pretense, to show the best of oaxaca in every way, a sensorial proposal that reinterprets (oaxacan) architecture away from current trends. a space that wants to last a long time in the context and contribute to the city,’ adds the studio.

moza’be is reinterpreted around the existing central patio that references traditional mexican architecture