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The Glorieta Cibeles Tower is a complete up-cycle of a 1979, 74m tall and slender, 18 story office structure that was abandoned and deemed unsafe after the historic 1985 and 2017 earthquakes.
The idea of the project emerged from the objective of achieving an innovative intervention that could demonstrate that old and deteriorated structures can be revitalized to meet all current requirements of comfort, efficiency, sustainability, resiliency, and flexibility, expected from a new equivalent building, becoming a model of responsible architecture and development.
The outcome is an iconic example of urban renewal and recovery in Mexico, on a scale never before seen, reflecting the substantial efforts made for the tower’s rebirth.
The project is located at the Cibeles fountain rotunda in the Roma neighborhood, one of the most emblematic, historic and full character areas of Mexico City. This part brims with a diverse set of typologies and an eclectic mix of architectures, dating back to the beginning of the past century.
This zone maintains strict guidelines for maximum construction heights. The pre-existing tower significantly set the tone with respect to the work that could be done on the façade. As an area of high commercial and residential demand, it was critical to encourage significant changes in other buildings in this area. Having such an emblematic location, its remodeling was key to harnessing the potential from the site, becoming a unique example of innovation and an icon of urban recovery and renewal.
The project aimed to attain the highest level of sustainability possible. The tower is LEED Platinum certified, achieving energy savings of 36.5%, 56% in artificial lighting, 67% in HVAC, and 41% in water savings. Additionally, by recycling the structure, a 50% reduction in embodied carbon was achieved.
The tower is topped by verdant roof gardens featuring endemic vegetation, creating a pleasant microclimate that serves as a relaxing space. The gardens occupy over one third of the total plot and feature various palm and fern species, offering an oasis and an oxigen-producing space within a corporate setting.
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The old building’s transformation comprised four fundamental axes: structure and resilience; comfort and functionality; aesthetic and tectonic design; and sustainability (considering both operational and embodied energy).
The structural issues were addressed by utilizing an array of strategies. First, the tower’s 60 cm tilt towards the east was fixed with a very delicate maneuver that was done by excavating tunnels underneath to tamper the piles and ballast the tower; when the tower was vertical again, it was reattached to the existing foundation adding an additional 33 new pilings.
Above ground, the shape was regularized to avoid frame distortions during earthquakes. Afterwards, the existing structure was reinforced utilizing steel bracing and concrete rejuvenating epoxy injections. Finally, to complete the process, 4 viscous structural dampers were incorporated at each floor, reducing up to 60% of earthquake strength.
The structural changes allowed for the removal of a column obstructing interior spaces, resulting in a drastic change from its foundation upward, a unique occurrence in a seismic area like Mexico City.
The core was redesigned and relocated to the eastern side, creating larger open floors with panoramic views and natural light in all directions, larger elevators, a sculptural staircase, and improved interior mobility and quality.
The tower is designed as an inhabitable, sculptural obelisk. The site’s pentagonal shape was utilized to improve the tower’s design, with the main edge facing the rotunda raised 10 meters above its previous height and dropping towards the back edge to create a distinctive profile that interacts with the city skyline, emphasizing the project’s significance within the city.
Cimet Architects is a vertically integrated architectural firm, with more than 40 years of experience, that encompasses the built environment process from development to architectural design and construction, to management throughout the life of the properties. This allows us to visualize the entire life of a building, contemplating all of its present and future complexities in an attempt to resolve them.
We believe in creating rich spatial experiences to enhance people's lives by creating a positive impact on our environment.
We strive to create designs through the principles of comfort, inhabitant experience, functionality, sustainability and energy efficiency, transportation-oriented development, seismic resilience, quality of construction, quality of materials and ease of maintenance.
We apply strategic thinking and creativity with technical vision to achieve buildings of the highest possible construction quality.
