steel canopies and vibrant courts by amasa estudio reclaim public plaza in mexico city

Rehabilitation of public plaza at CTM Culhuacán by AMASA Estudio

At UH INFONAVIT CTM Culhuacán, one of Mexico City’s largest housing developments, AMASA Estudio has completed the rehabilitation of a deteriorated public plaza. The intervention addresses long-standing spatial and maintenance challenges common to mid-20th-century housing typologies, focusing on programmatic clarity, material efficiency, and community-responsive design.

Located in the southeast of the city within the borough of Coyoacán, CTM Culhuacán comprises approximately 15,000 housing units built beginning in 1974. Initially intended to serve over 100,000 residents from Mexico’s working and middle classes, the development reflects the social housing strategies of the era. However, as in many large-scale complexes of its kind, shared public areas have since suffered from insufficient maintenance, largely due to jurisdictional ambiguity and administrative complexity. These conditions have led to a fragmented landscape of informally appropriated, neglected, or underutilized spaces. One such space, a plaza near the complex’s tenth section, became the site for a targeted intervention. In June 2023, INFONAVIT launched a design-build tender across four sites in Mexico City. AMASA Estudio, led by Andrea López and Agustín Pereyra, submitted a winning proposal for the Culhuacán location.

rehabilitation of a public plaza at CTM Culhuacán by AMASA Estudio | image by © Andres Cedillo

Reclaiming Urban Common Space Through Programmatic Zoning

The pre-existing site featured aging recreational infrastructure: worn courts, obsolete gym equipment, and peripheral spaces with low visibility. The area was bounded by perimeter walls of two adjacent schools, creating residual zones vulnerable to informal and antisocial use. The design centers on a gabled roof structure positioned at the site’s core. This architectural element introduces spatial order and visual identity while preventing potential future encroachments and maintaining clear sightlines across the plaza. Around this organizing spine, AMASA Estudio reconfigured the site into a series of clearly defined zones: two multipurpose courts, a calisthenics area, a covered forum with seating, a children’s play area, and a 600-meter running track embedded within the pedestrian paths. These components respond to the original brief and were refined through community consultation.

Key to the project was the strategic optimization of resources. The design team’s collaboration with Desarrolladora de Ideas y Espacios enabled cost-effective implementation without compromising design intent. Shared elements, such as structural steel profiles, pigmented concrete, and corrugated metal roofing, were coordinated across all four INFONAVIT commissions, allowing for material standardization and streamlined construction. Landscape improvements integrate permeable surfaces for rainwater infiltration and align with existing pedestrian flows. Accessibility was prioritized by avoiding grade changes and using material contrasts to define circulation and program areas. Color, paving texture, and modular curb transitions help delineate functional zones and improve legibility across the site. This intervention re-establishes the public plaza as a usable and maintained civic space within a historically significant housing development. By addressing spatial neglect through design, the project demonstrates a model for reclaiming underused public infrastructure in similar urban contexts.

new program includes courts, calisthenics area, and children’s play zone | image by © Andres Cedillo

the intervention reorders circulation and visibility across the site | image by © Zaickz Moz

covered forum with lateral seating enables shaded community use | image by © Zaickz Moz

central structure introduces spatial definition and visual identity | image by © Zaickz Moz

design prioritizes legibility through color and material contrasts | image by © Gerardo Reyes Bustamante

modular curbs and paving textures articulate spatial boundaries | image by © Gerardo Reyes Bustamante

site reconfigured to discourage encroachment and enable openness | image by © Andres Cedillo

project info:

name: UH INFONAVIT CTM Culhuacán

architect: AMASA Estudio | @amasa__estudio

location: Culhuacán, Mexico City

lead architects: Andrea López | @androide08, Agustín Pereyra | @a_pereyra

design team: Luis Flores, Gerardo Reyes, Roxana León, Cesar Huerta, Yanahi Flaviel

client: INFONAVIT | @infonavitoficial

construction: Desarrolladora de Ideas y Espacios, Alberto Cejudo | @tallercd_mx

structural engineer: Juan Felipe Heredia | @jfheredia

engineering: Germán Muñoz

lighting: Gabriel Briseño

landscape: Maritza Hernández | @maritzahernandez1413

photographers: Zaickz Moz | @zaickz.moz, Andrés Cedillo | @pavelin, Gerardo Reyes Bustamante | @gerardorbustamante

video: Virgilio Cortés

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edited by: christina vergopoulou | designboom