HEMAA uses black steel for narrow skyscraper in Mexico City
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Local studio HEMAA has completed the narrow, 13-storey Ferrocarril de Cuernavaca 780 with steel, concrete and glass on a skinny, post-industrial lot in Mexico City.
Located between a street and the remnants of the Ferrocarril de Cuernavaca Railroad, the 9,465 square metres (101,874 square feet) Ferrocarril de Cuernavaca 780 building was designed as a skinny wedge on an underutilized property in the Polanco neighbourhood.
“It required an act of imagination to envision the emergence of a graceful tower that would deftly adapt to the challenging terrain,” the HEMAA team said.
“Comparable to tenacious plants thriving amidst adversity, this tower would unfold, defying expectations.”
In addition to the site constraints, the narrow form resulted from a reinterpretation of classical architectural elements, incorporating the golden ratio in multiple places and dividing out into a base, shaft and capital through modulations and windows.
The use of a black structural steel facade – selected as a nod to the area’s industrial history that has risen from a peripheral service neighbourhood to a vibrant area – accommodates Mexico City’s seismic regulations while allowing the floors to be free of columns.
Glazing wraps almost entirely around the building, bringing in natural light from every angle and connecting the spaces to their surroundings.
“Depending on the viewer’s vantage point and the time of observation, its shape gracefully metamorphoses, offering a myriad of unique interpretations,” the team said. “Its unequivocal identity creates an ideal backdrop for the tower to assume a vibrant existence once it becomes inhabited.”
The skyscraper includes a ground-floor commercial space – ideal for a coffee shop on the east corner of the building – two glazed entries that create a see-through enfilade between the north and south facades, and a circulation core complete with a glazed robotized pallet system and elevators on the west side of the building.
Embracing its responsibility toward public space, the design dedicates the southern portion of the site to public space, connects to the adjacent park and encourages interaction with the envisioned ground floor commercial space. This footprint reduction narrows the width of the building even further, rather than maximizing the available land.
Below ground, 13 subterranean levels house storage and maintenance spaces while a robotic parking system accommodates 126 parking spaces in two parking cabins.
Above, the typical floors are reduced to include only the essential egress and restroom facilities. The remainder of the glazed space is available for future tenant build-outs.
On the 13th floor, the exterior wall steps back to form a roof terrace that offers panoramic views of the Mexico City skyline and Chapultepec Park.
The LEED-certified building includes advanced insulation and HVAC systems, high-efficiency lighting, rainwater harvesting and efficient plumbing fixtures, to ensure optimal energy usage, reduce carbon emissions and conserve water.
“Indoor environmental quality is a top priority, with ample natural lighting and effective air replacement promoting occupant health and well-being,” the team said.
“The building’s design encourages a connection to nature, with large windows, a rooftop garden, and outdoor gathering areas that enhance the overall user experience.”
HEMAA recently completed a nuanced steel structure of a lakeside gathering pavilion outside Mexico City, as well as a pair of stone houses in the Jardines del Pedregal neighbourhood and the renovation of a mid-century Augusto H Álvarez house in Mexico City.
The photography is César Béjar unless otherwise noted.
Project credits:
Architecture: HEMAA
Design and construction team: Santiago Hernández Matos, Alejandra Tornel Cahue, José Miguel Fainsod Castro, José Pedro López González, Alonso Sánchez Toscano, Adriana Aguirre Becerra, Andrea Motilla Chávez, Daniela Parra Orozco, José Miguel Santivañez Gómez, Juan Octavio Ferreira, Mónica García Cruz, Patricio Salgado Rodríguez
Structural engineer: PESA
Electric engineer: DEC
Plumbing engineer: Garza Maldonado
HVAC engineer: CYVSA
Special engineer: TecnoBuildings
Landscape design: DLC Architects
LEED certification comissioning: Alejandro Trillo + Gabriel Morales
Architectural model: Taller Cuatro Cuartos
Others: Omar Sad / Augusto Álvarez
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