In the northern section of Polanco, one of the modern districts of Mexico City, an area with high growth potential and current vitality which is also to become one of the most emblematic places in the city, stands Cervantes Saavedra 639, a new mixed-use project designed by the Mexican firm ZD + A, whose leader is the architect Yuri Zagorin.
This unique piece of architecture is part of a real estate revolution, which in recent years has transformed the urban landscape of the area and includes contributions from architects such as LAR +Fernando Romero (Soumaya Museum) and David Chipperfield (Jumex Collection Museum). However, in this context the project "Cervantes Saavedra 639″ is relevant because of its unique combination of geometric purity, his chromatic audacity and contextual integration, aspects in a strong contrast against formal and stylistic extravagance of some of its nearest neighbors.
Conceived to maximize space efficiency and flexibility, the project incorporates an unorthodox design decisions to multiply its functional and operational possibilities. On the one hand, the ground plan free schema allows adapting the space to the changing needs of different users and programs. And secondly, to improve the building space flexibility, the structural solution was designed in such a way that the space that corresponds to the slope of the framework that supports the mezzanine can be used as intermediate floor which can increase the useful area of the interior. Also, at levels of the parking area was installed a series of car lifts, which allows to help with the management of space, significantly raising the number of parking spaces.
One of the most unique aspects of this project is certainly the façade defined by a sensual game of skins that serves to articulate the relationship between interior and exterior space in a sensitive, intelligent and creative manner. The combination of layers mitigates the negative impact of external factors, specially sunlight and the noise from both the bustling streets of Polanco and the ring road. At the same time, the control of window frames and the extending of the interior area to an external balcony reinforce the overarching strategy to control these and other possible sources of visual and sound contamination.
From the city, the outer skin is perceived as a large pixilated geometry that generates a formal and chromatic energy that changes according to the time of the day and the position of the observer. The visual pattern of the display was designed by artist Luis Diaz Gordoa from VENA2 atelier and it was constructed with Hunter Douglas aluminum panels. From inside, the alternation of voids and solids allows us an unexpected and changing external view. Furthermore, the rear façade was equipped with a series of plant holder that equilibrates environmental and visual comfort of the occupants and also gave to the project a solid ecological differentiating character.
At street level, the building rests on a podium and stands out for the design of materials and textures once bold and harmonious. The exposed concrete, steel, hardwood, granite and silk-screened glass create a dialogue of balance as a tectonic unit that integrates almost a symbiotic relationship with the immediate urban context.
+ Project credits / data
Name of the Project: CS 639
Location: Miguel de Cervantes Saavedra, Mexico City.
Type: Office Building
Date:
Project: May 2009 – July 2009
Construction: June 2009 – January 2010
Interior: June 2010 – October 2010
Area:
Site: 506.89 m2
Construction: 2,788.50m2
Architectonic Project: ZD+A | Yuri Zagorin Alazraki, Felipe Buendía
Design Team: Eduardo Fernández Gonzalez, Eugenia Pérez
Construction: Fernando Reynoso Monroy, Agustín Quiñones García, Francisco Vargas
Facilities: ZD+A
Structure: Ismael Vazquez Martinez
Photography: Rafael Gamo, Sandra Pérez-Nieto
+ All images courtesy ZD+A
