吉他可以说是世界上最受欢迎的乐器。它用途广泛，便于携带，容易获得，亲切而民主，可以跨越社会经济和其他社会断层，与所有年龄和背景的人建立联系。也可以说，没有任何一种乐器能够为共同的历史和文化的流动性提供如此诗意的隐喻。

The guitar is arguably the most popular instrument in the world. It is versatile, portable, accessible, intimate and democratic, reaching across socioeconomic and other societal fault lines to connect with people of all ages and backgrounds. It might also be said that no instrument provides so poetic a metaphor for shared histories and cultural fluidity.

Kithara项目是一个吉他的空间，它是一个教室，但也是墨西哥城一个名为Yuguelito的边缘地区的音乐亭，该地区位于Iztapalapa，由于暴力程度、土壤质量和水资源稀缺，是一个冲突地区。Yuguelito站在1985年地震后形成的瓦砾堆上。社区努力改善土壤以进行建设，并建立一个住宅区。在当地图书馆旁边，社区为Kithara项目捐赠了一块地。

我们设计了一个雨水收集的砖石拱顶和一个重新使用的木头支架，在吸音和混响之间找到一个声学平衡。建筑物的上层教室面向Xaltocan火山，这是Iztapalapa的一个重要地理参照物，而底层教室则向两条街道的拐角处倾斜，以便向城市开放，为更多的观众举办公共活动。

Kithara Project is a space for the guitar, it is a classroom but also a musical kiosk in a marginal area of Mexico City called Yuguelito, which is located in Iztapalapa, a conflictive area due to the levels of violence, the quality of the soil and water scarcity. Yuguelito is standing on land that was a rubble dump from the 1985 earthquake. The community worked to improve the soil for construction and establish a residential area. Next to the local library, the community donated a plot for the Kithara Project.

We designed a rain harvesting masonry vault and a re-used wood stand that would find an acoustic balance between sound absorption and reverberation. The upper classroom of the construction is oriented towards Xaltocan Volcano, a significant geographical reference in Iztapalapa, whereas the ground floor classroom is tilted towards the corner of two streets, in order to open up to the city, holding public events for larger audiences.

墙壁和拱顶都是由社区捐赠的不同类型的砖石制成：红砖、水泥块、火山石和tezontle（红石）。我们的建筑大师挑选了三名来自尤盖里托的当地建筑工人来兴建这座建筑。

Both walls and vault are made of different types of masonry donated by the community: red brick, cement blocks, volcanic stone and tezontle (red stone). Three local builders from Yuguelito were selected by our construction master to rise the building.

Kithara音乐亭是一个集体空间，因为它是在集体努力下诞生的，它是为Yuguelito社区奉献的。该项目始于2015年一群吉他教师来到社区，提供免费的吉他课程。在很短的时间内，这群人聚集了妇女、儿童、成人和老人，加入了课程。为了表示感谢，社区民主地决定为Kithara项目捐赠一小块土地，以便建造一个教室。Kithara基金会的项目负责人Matthew Rhode召集我们进行建筑项目。

Kithara Music Kiosk is a Collective Space because it was born from collective efforts and it is dedicated for the community of Yuguelito. The project began with a group of guitar teachers arriving to the community in 2015 to offer free guitar lessons. In little time, this group gathered women, children, adult and elderly people that joined the lessons. In appreciation, the community democratically decided to donate a small plot of land for Kithara Project in order to build a classroom. Matthew Rhode, project leader from Kithara foundation, called us to make the architectural project.

作为第一步，我们与社区和吉他学生进行了一次集体研讨，要求他们画出他们理想中的音乐学校。在这些图纸的基础上，我们制定了建筑方案。后来，我们向社区提交了一个带有图纸和模型的拟议项目，并考虑了进一步的意见。随着项目的批准，花了5年多的时间和许多集体努力才获得了建设资金。最后，设计战略纳入了集体精神，因为它建议所有的建筑材料都应该由社区回收或捐赠。劳动力也是当地的。

As a first step, a collective workshop was made with the community and the guitar students, we asked them to draw their ideal music school. Based upon those drawings we made the architectural program. Later, a proposed project was presented for the community with drawings and models and further observations where considered. With the approved project, it took over 5 years and many collective efforts to achieve the funding for the construction. Finally, the design strategy incorporated a collective spirit, because it proposed that all materials for the construction should be either recycled or donated by the community. Labour was local too.

如今，Kithara音乐亭已经超越了它的预期用途，社区已经用它来做不同的活动，如戏剧艺术展示、合唱团音乐会和不同类型的社交聚会。它有一个个人空间的规模，但它绝对是一个集体空间的共鸣。
Nowadays Kithara Music Kiosk has surpassed its intended uses, community has used it for making different events like theatre arts presentations, choir concerts and different types of social gatherings. It has a personal space scale but it definitely resonates as a collective space.

Architects: TO
Area : 646 ft²
Year : 2022
Photographs :Jaime Navarro
Lead Architects : TO (Carlos Facio | José Amozurrutia)
Project Team : Lizeth Ríos, Úrsula Rebollar, Lena Arsenijevic
Client : Matthew Rode, Kithara Foundation
Structural Calculation : Armando Pelcastre
Construction : TO, Mtro. Pablo Escobar
Landscape : Entorno, Tonatiuh Martínez
Construction Period : abril 2021 / marzo 2022
Site Area : 861 ft2
Investment : $900,000
Cost Per Area : $15,000 m2
City : Mexico City
Country : Mexico