Vertical Carvings: 
Monastic Seclusion and Artistic Urban Expression

Some fundamental questions that emerge in making a modern-day vertical monastery in Atlampa of Mexico City: How does the monastery’s vertical surfaces contribute to the neighborhood? How do we make a secluded monastic society that also feels connected to the outside? How to programmatically organize a monastery to be vertical?

My project proposes a modern-day vertical monastery that integrates sculptural forms at a city scale, transforming monastic seclusion with formal carvings that open the monastic society to its urban, social, and artistic contexts. This monastery fosters a secluded yet socially engaged community, centered around a vertical cloister that bridges contemporary monastic life with the urban environment through the communal creation of mural art.