Architects: Intersticial Arquitectura
Area: 245 m²
Year: 2024
Photography: Ariadna Polo, Diego Vázquez Mellado
Manufacturers: Ciento.12, Helvex, Nanocal
Lead Architect: Rodolfo Unda Cortés
Design Team: Bosco Tamayo Chapa, Ana Paula Vega Gutiérrez, Jimena Amieva Álvarez, Jimena Borbón de la Torre
General Construction: Davis de Anda Construcción
Lighting Design: Tecnnolite
Landscape Architecture: Matorral
Engineering and Consulting: Bticino
Category: Community Center, Restoration
City: Santiago de Querétaro
Country: Mexico
Located in the historic center of Santiago de Querétaro, Casa de Rubén stands as both a community hub and a symbolic gesture toward inclusion. Designed by Intersticial Arquitectura, the 245-square-meter project restores a traditional residence to create a refuge for the LGBTQ+ community of the Bajío region. The intervention preserves the spirit and material history of the original house while reinterpreting it as an open, empathetic, and restorative space. The center functions as a venue for workshops, recreation, and collective gatherings, balancing intimacy and openness through thoughtful spatial continuity, natural light, and ventilation. Rather than asserting a new architectural language, the design quietly honors its inherited structure, transforming restoration into an act of care and remembrance.
Intersticial Arquitectura’s Casa de Rubén redefines restoration as a deeply human act. More than a physical intervention, it represents a gesture of memory and affection, conceived to honor the life of Rubén Salazar, a young activist who championed inclusion and dignity for the LGBTQ+ community. The project rejects monumental tributes, seeking instead to build a living, breathing space that reflects the generosity and openness of the individual it commemorates.
Set within a historic residence in the center of Querétaro, the project began with an understanding that architecture could serve as both refuge and conversation. The house’s layered history guided the process, its walls revealing decades of quiet stories. Rather than impose a new aesthetic order, the architects approached the restoration as a dialogue—one that acknowledged the building’s scars and allowed its imperfections to remain as visible traces of time.
By embracing these imperfections, the design transforms fragility into strength. Openings were enlarged to draw in natural light, and ventilation was prioritized to foster continuity between rooms and courtyards. The resulting atmosphere feels calm and restorative, where every detail—texture, shade, or threshold—contributes to a sense of belonging. The architecture supports presence rather than performance, letting light and air animate what was once still.
The project’s spatial organization reinforces its inclusive mission. Workshops, gathering rooms, and terraces connect fluidly, each space adaptable to communal or solitary use. The absence of rigid hierarchies reflects a broader social intent: a refusal to define how people should interact or express themselves. This flexibility ensures that Casa de Rubén remains an evolving home for dialogue, recreation, and healing.
Material restraint underscores the project’s integrity. The restored surfaces maintain visible traces of age, while neutral finishes and handcrafted details lend warmth without nostalgia. Through this measured approach, the architects achieve balance—neither romanticizing the past nor erasing it. The architecture breathes through honesty, giving form to a contemporary sensibility rooted in empathy and care.
Collaboration played a key role in realizing the project’s nuanced character. Landscape design by Matorral introduced vegetation as an essential layer of comfort and symbolism, while lighting by Tecnnolite enhances the interplay of shadow and transparency. Together, these contributions underscore how design can nurture emotional well-being without resorting to overt statements or decorative excess.
Ultimately, Casa de Rubén exemplifies architecture’s ability to heal and connect. It does not demand attention but earns it through sincerity and restraint. Within its restored walls, the LGBTQ+ community of Querétaro finds not only a space to gather but also a tangible affirmation of visibility and respect. The house honors its namesake not through grandeur but through quiet endurance, proving that architecture, at its most meaningful, is an act of care.
Casa de Rubén is less about construction than about continuity. It extends the life of a house and the memory of a person through generosity, presence, and shared experience. In doing so, Intersticial Arquitectura demonstrates how architecture can bridge past and present, transforming a single act of restoration into a lasting expression of inclusion and collective hope.
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Project Location
Address: Santiago de Querétaro, Mexico
The location specified is intended for general reference and may denote a city or country, but it does not identify a precise address.
