Pilares

Transform barriers into boundaries

REA

Architectural Project: Rozana Montiel Estudio de Arquitectura
Colaboradores: Cristóbal Pliego, Adriana Rodríguez Zamudio, Margherita Vegro
Client: Mexico City Government
Location: Iztapalapa, Mexico City
Photography: Sandra Pereznieto
Year: 2022

Pilares is a social impact urban project developed by Mexico City. Its main objective is to create sapience centers for citizen encounters. The city government, in collaboration with PienZa Sostenible, invited us to design the Center in the Presidentes de Mexico neighborhood in Iztapalapa. The architectural program includes a cyberschool, arts and crafts workshops (screen printing, jewelry and plumbing), sports facilities, an orchard and classrooms for entrepreneurship and job training lessons. Our project was designed as a public, inclusive and multifunctional space. It is meant to bring down barriers and expand horizons. The main access is part of this strategy. A tree-lined arcade invites people to enter the center and sit down. The outer walls’ striated block of reddish concrete not only gives the center an iconic identity, but also generates a play of light and shadows. Concrete is thus redefined and employed under different expressions to produce lattices, ventilated interiors, hermetic exteriors and pavement fabrics. The architectural program distributes the forums and classrooms between two stories which are interconnected via a system of landscaped patios and corridors. The sequence of rooms maintains the center’s connection with the outside world. Some of them have adaptable gates which open or close up completely. The center has inclusive access (an elevator and ramps). It is also sustainable, since it has a cistern for collecting rainwater, cross ventilation and bathrooms with LED lights and eco-friendly faucets.

PLANS

Our project was designed as a public, inclusive and multifunctional space. It is meant to bring down barriers and expand horizons.