Comal Oculto is conceived as a living system where interior and exterior landscapes respond to ritual, heat, and time. Inside, the intervention confronts one of the most demanding conditions for vegetation: low natural light combined with the constant presence of fire and warmth from the kitchen. The plant selection prioritizes resilience and adaptability, allowing species to coexist with heat while inhabiting the space without ornamentation.

Here, vegetation echoes the labor of hands—the repetitive, careful gestures that shape food and memory around the comal. Plants soften the intensity of the interior, regulate the atmosphere, and give life to a space defined by use. The landscape becomes an extension of the act of cooking: quiet, honest, and essential.

Outside, the project extends through an ancestral irrigation strategy using buried clay vessels. These vasijas allow for a slow and gradual filtration of water directly into the soil, promoting deeper root growth and accelerating plant establishment while reducing water loss. This system reinforces a relationship of care rather than control, where growth responds to rhythm instead of excess.

Comal Oculto is an offering shaped by climate, material, and tradition— a landscape that inhabits fire, honors hands, and grows through patience.

Year: 2025

Location: San Miguel Chapultepec, Mexico City, Mexico.

Team: Fernando Melchor, Alfonso Arriaga, Esaú González, Asahel Hernández & Gabriel Guízar.

Architecture: Taller Uno a Uno

Photographer: Andrea Dorantes.

Status: Installed.