ROW studio, is an architecture and design firm based in mexico city.
it was founded by alvaro hernández felix and alfonso maldonado ochoa in 2005
who were joined a year later by partner nadia hernández félix. the studio sent us some
of their recent projects.



bosque esmeralda, october 2008
proposal for the redesign of the facade of a shopping center already under construction
located on jimenez cantu avenue in zona esmeralda on the northwest of mexico city.
row's design consisted of a metallic façade superposed to the concrete structure of the
building that created grand irregular volumes that went from bigger to lower roughness
along the length of the façade. metallic plaques gave shape to the volume and adapted
to the different uses of the shopping mall.



on the parking level they would be perforated to allow natural light and ventilation
to the interior, on the stores they would be solid and with a bright coating on their
outer face and on restaurants and circulations they would be substituted with glass
to show the views to the forests, hills and mountains of the surroundings.



since the shopping center was being built on top of a 98 foot (30 meters) tall platform
our design included the creation of a green wall covering the containment wall
of the base and throughout the full length of the access ramp thus helping the
structure mimic with its surroundings.





espacio C mixcoac, july 2009
espacio C is a coca-cola training facility located at the mixcoac distribution center
on the southwestern area of mexico city. it includes three separate rooms that can be
joined together for common activities, a mediateque, snacks bar, souvenir store,
data and electrical connections and storage space. espacio C has two small rooms with
a capacity for 8 persons each that can be used for teamwork, brainstorming,
as reading rooms or for informal meetings and a large main hall that can be used
for formal training sessions, lectures and presentations.





the three rooms follow a concentric layout around a multifunctional fixed module.
these spaces are surrounded by a wall that acts as a sound and visual barrier,
isolating the training facility from the city and the rest of the areas of the plant.
the wall was thought as a continuous surface on its outer side that folds to the
floor and ceiling, which is covered in coca cola red epoxy paint coating and the floor
is finished with a high resistance acrylic finish.



graphics on the exterior create a composition based on the coca cola logo formed
by a continuous wave of bubbles, animals and plants. interior walls are covered with
a special anti graffiti coating that turns the full surface of the wall into a dry erase board
and at the same time encapsulates the vinyl graphics protecting them from damage.




plan view of espacio C






superama tecamachalco, september 2009
proposal for the redesign of the facades of their superama store located in the
tecamachalco suburb in mexico city. the design features a repetitive pattern of flowers
made of large ceramic tiles in 7 different colors that wraps around the building.
a low cost solution that has an good durability and low maintenance. the colorful mosaic
would give visibility to the building from the surrounding streets and make a statement
of complete renewal of the store. access to an underground mall is also created replacing
an existing structure. the rooftop of the new access folds from the end of the building
on to the main entrance of the supermarket. the ceiling is made of translucent
orange panels while the facades are made of curved clear glass with the logo of superama
printed on them.







more info on these projects can be found at the ROW studio website.