México City, México
Inspired by the relatively temperate climate in Mexico City, Aurora, a new eight-storey commercial office building by Belzberg Architects, plays with the relationship between the inside and outside, seeking to create a dynamic space in between.
Aurora was recently awarded with a 2020 American Architecture Award from The Chicago Athenaeum and The European Centre for Architecture Art Design and Urban Studies.
Rather than having exposed balconies, a monolithic facade has been carefully sculpted, creating a semipermeable surface.
These interstitial areas, located just outside the controlled office environment, use light to shape the experience of the architecture, and create a new kind of amenity.
The long and narrow site (12.73 m wide by 26 m deep), along with the flatness and solidity of the existing streetscape, led our designers to carve an entryway that draws people in off the sidewalk.
Appearing to defy the weight of the precast concrete panels of the facade above, a curve cut was introduced.
This gesture is echoed above in a series of slits focused toward a view of the mountains beyond; their variation ensures a unique experience on every floor – from day to night and through the seasons, activating the senses: at times, the fresh smell of plants waft inwards, other times the sound of the breeze, vistas are framed, and an unexpected ambiance created by the two-story lightwell lined with a green wall at the top.
Each of these cuts maintains the overall balanced proportion of the north facade, and together, they present a volume that is both inside and outside – a dynamic re-interpretation of office space.
Project: Aurora
Architect: Belzberg Architects
Client: Grupo Anima
General Contractor: Grupo Anima
Photographers: Belzberg Architects
