La Fragua
Year: 2017
Location: Mexico City, Mexico
Area: 31,400 m2
Team: Pablo Pérez Palacios, Alfonso de la Concha Rojas, Miguel Vargas, Andrés Domínguez, Antonio Contreras, César Pérez
Renders: PPAA
In the design of the project, these specific regulations are considered, which also establish a clear relationship with the Monument to the Revolution and the plaza that surrounds it. In the design of the project, these specific regulations are considered, which also establish a clear relationship with the Monument to the Revolution and the plaza that surrounds it.
Relationships with the urban and historic context
La Fragua is an office building in the heart of Mexico City, just across one of the most important city landmarks: el Monumento a la Revolución.
As the site is in a corner, the design involved two facades, each working as a different street front on the access level. Design and construction regulations for high-rise buildings are very strict in the area, as Mexico City is in a heavy seismic zone. The tower considered these specific regulations in its design and, additionally, established a relationship with the monument itself and the surrounding plaza.
The first design resolution was to decrease the floor area as the building height increased, following the city’s construction regulations. The second resolution was to make direct reference to the height of the monument and the copper-like material of its dome. The irregular shape of the top floors is virtually finished with the same structural frame of the building, which makes it appear as a regular rectangular prism. All these levels intend to fade them with a tempered glass facade that reflects the sky.
