Sometimes we look back into history for the inspiration to create something current and practical. The artistic community  in Oaxaca, Mexico has been a key player in the development of ideal spaces for showcasing and teaching Mexican art. The institutions nurturing the arts have optimized their resources and turned Oaxaca into an important arts center.

ROW Studio’s proposal for the Fine Arts School of The State University of Oaxaca aims preserve campus green areas surrounding the teaching spaces. The slopes are an extension of the greenery from which the classrooms seem to emerge, like mounds similar to the primitive pyramids in the area.

The complex’s northeast orientation is considered ideal for natural classroom lighting but is also a reference to the archeological site of Monte Alban.