Milán 44 by Francisco Pardo Arquitecto. From warehouse to multidisciplinary market
27/06/2017.
at103 [Mexico City] Mexico
metalocus, SARA NÁJAR
metalocus, SARA NÁJAR
Description of the project by Francisco Pardo Arquitecto, at103
Transforming the existing building according to the new dynamics of the area has been the main challenge for the architectural firm, who decided to integrate a regular grid of concrete beams, columns and slabs, originally conceived from a utilitarian perspective, into the poly-dynamic venue’s new public role.
Left exposed like a raw skeleton, the reticular structure is the framework for a two-storey local market, restaurants, and several private commercial spaces including a barber’s shop and a yoga studio. The new public program intrinsically and physically forms an extension of the city itself: the former warehouse with its blind façades vigorously shakes off its skin, opening up and inviting the urban fabric to come in.
While maintaining its original scale and structure, the building has undergone a complete metamorphosis: a green staircase has been added to generate fluid vertical circulation. Acting like a fil-rouge, this element connects the spaces and invites visitors to explore the building extensively.
“Through it, the street folds to the inside and upwards” says Francisco Pardo, founder of the architectural practice. “it’s like a vortex that transversely crosses the building, pulling the street right up to the rooftop”.
The architectural peak culminates on the top floor, which is also open to the public and hosts a beer bar: in this way, the Milán 44 project gives back to the city much more than just the ground floor of a standard building, which is typically designated for commercial use. In its place, an entirely fresh, dynamic venue has emerged, in homage to the collectivity that embodies the radical change embracing the area.