Distrito Alfa

Tecnológico de Monterrey (ITESM), dep. of architecture

Project idea

When we think of making city, concepts often forget the realities that our country lives, where the "public" spaces of great quality are intended for the most privileged sectors of society; spaces of great surplus value that were to be public, gentrify and marginalize those who actually make use of them.
From this understanding, we allow ourselves to question how a forgotten space like the Alfa planetarium in San Pedro Garza García, can be an antithesis of all the great real estate developments in the area, a manifesto on accessibility and democratization of public space with a scheme economically sustainable, to generate a softer and more directed at the pedestrian city. Seeking to resume the vocation of the planetarium to be a space of culture and learning; being spaces that are scarce in the city. The search for green space, with a minimal intervention that understands the topography and takes up the pre-existence of the place to allow the district to become a focal point for the generation of high-quality events artistic and cultural.
Finally, our questioning invites reflection on the future of the city and the generation of public space, in continuing to demand spaces of great surplus value that aggravate the urban cohesion or instead, think of those with great habitability, accessibility, and democratic.

Project description

The project consists of an intervention in an old planetarium in the city of Monterrey, the project is located on a property with a very uneven topography and with dense vegetation. The main intention was to revitalize and return the cultural vocation to the district, intervening in the planetarium through extensions that house various cultural and artistic programs. In turn, the generation of a linear park is proposed, as well as pedestrian and commercial corridors, making use of the topography and the pre-existing conditions to have a minimum impact on the vegetation. The formal solutions of the project seek to function as multipurpose spaces that adapt to the needs of each exhibition, event or business they host, making use of materials, solutions, and bioclimatic strategies that adapt to the climate of Monterrey. Finally, within the intervention of the planetarium, a re-articulation of the roof is proposed, proposing a system of skylights that diffuse the light and generate an atrium of indirect light on it.

Technical information

The intervention is made up of a reinforced glass and steel roof, with skylights that adapt to the time of day to diffuse direct light, the extensions of the planetarium are made up of two buildings with interior patios, articulated with metal lattices that cut the light inside of it. For the pavilions and modular structures, a prefabricated system of wood with concrete was used, as well as the incorporation of the existing stone slopes for the generation of the commercial corridor, which is submerged above the ground.

Documentation

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