Synthetic Natures // Highrise Mexico City

This studio sought to reconcile two sometimes conflicting goals within a hybrid ecology, the maximization of program and area within a building envelope based on municipal development goals, and the stabilization of earth, the literal site which has been impacted adversely by environmental consequences of human-centric urban development. The studio focused on a site within the Centro Historico area of Mexico City, an area of both much speculation as well as deep cultural heritage. Mexico City is at once a metropolis and capital, with over 9.2 million inhabitants as of 2020. The historic city center contains landmarks dating from as far back as the Aztec era, and was formerly the power center of New Spain, a Spanish colony dating to the 16th century. This section of the capital lies in the municipal borough of Cuauhtémoc, has just over nine square km and occupies 668 blocks. It contains 9,000 buildings, 1,550 of which have been declared of historical importance. Most of these historic buildings were constructed between the 16th and 20th centuries. It is divided into two zones for preservation purposes. Zone A encompasses the pre-Hispanic city and its expansion from the Viceroy period until Independence. Zone B covers the areas all other constructions to the end of the 19th century that are considered indispensable to the preservation of the area's architectural and cultural heritage.