The results of the Mextrópoli 2024 Pavilion competition have been announced. The first prize went to ‘Espectaculares’ by Tobias Jimenez and Cory Mattheis, proposing the creation of a new urban installation using discarded billboards. The Mextrópoli Pavilion competition, organized annually since 1998 by Arquine as part of the Mexico City Architecture Festival, aims to design and install a pavilion in Alameda Central in Mexico City, to be showcased during the four-day event from September 20th to 23rd. Pavilions must be constructed using recycled or reused materials, with the goal of designing sustainable urban retreats. Once completed, the pavilion serves as a stage for events and a shelter for citizens, along with other installations designed by domestic and international architects and students.
A total of 306 teams were registered, and the jury reviewed 254 of the 256 sheets received. The jury selected twelve proposals as finalists, among which they decided to award six honorable mentions and a third, second and first place. The judging panel consisted of five jury members, including José Gabriel Amozurrutia Cortés from UNAM, Pilar Echezarreta from Columbia University, Pablo Goldin from UNAM, Paola Morales Orantes from AS/D DESIGN ASSOCIATION, Zaida Muxi Martínez from EAAD del TEC, along with technical judge Alejandro Tapia.
1st Place _ (después de) ESPECTACULARES
The first-place entry, ‘Espectaculares,’ proposed repurposing discarded billboards reusing a kit of versatile pieces. For decades, billboards have been dominant symbols on Mexico City’s skyline. Citing safety concerns and visual pollution, the local government has implemented policy changes that have led to the removal of numerous rooftop billboards, unintentionally generating a new stream of waste in the city. The idea is to reconfigure these urban waste structures into devices shaping public spaces. The billboards would serve as screens displaying digital imagery. The proposed structure creates unobstructed seating within triangular spaces formed by positioning three sides within a circular area. The concept received praise for transforming urban objects, ensuring continuous usage, and providing structural solutions.
2nd Place _ LA NUBE
The second-place entry, ‘La Nube’ by the architectural studio Vertebral, resembles a cloud and serves as a pavilion where parts can be eaten. Integrating nostalgic cotton candy clouds from childhood memories into the design, the pavilion would be a temporary structure due to its lightweight nature. Although the concept opted to anchor the structure to historic buildings on either side of the street, judges expressed concerns about the practicality of the complex process.
3rd Place _ AN INSTALLATION THAT GIVES CITIZENS A VOICE, CREATING AN EMOTIONAL IDENTIFICATION WITH THE CITY
The third-place entry, ‘An Installation that Gives Citizens A Voice, Creating an Emotional Identification with the City’ by Atelier Carvalho Araujo from Portugal, combines benches, stairs, and vertical structures supporting screens—a space encouraging people to pause and enjoy the moment. While praised for its versatility and usefulness during festivals, concerns were raised regarding structural solutions against external forces like wind and earthquakes, as well as material costs and practicality.
Finalists
Apart from the three finalists, other submissions showcased interesting ideas based on sustainability through recycling and reuse. These cyclic attempts to repurpose urban elements into public structures encouraging people’s participation will be featured at the Mextrópoli Architecture Festival in September.
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