rojkind arquitectos opens 'foro boca' concert hall in mexico

in boca del río, mexico, rojkind arquitectos has completed ‘foro boca’ — a structure designed to house the city’s philharmonic orchestra. the building’s shape was informed by the stones used for the foundation of the neighboring breakwater, with large sculptural volumes housing the concert hall and other programs. the project is located in the center of the city along a coastal avenue, and forms part of a larger masterplan intended to revitalize the neighborhood.

UPDATE: this project was shortlisted in the ‘culture – completed buildings’ category at the 2018 world architecture festival.

all images by jaime navarro

able to accommodate 966 guests, the main stage — designed for classical, traditional, and contemporary music — can be adapted for dance and theater performances. meanwhile, the back of house area has been designed specifically for the orchestra, containing all necessary facilities. the boca del rio philharmonic orchestra, formed in 2014, has attracted local and foreign musicians, making it the heart of the cultural life of the city. in addition to providing a yearly season of orchestral concerts, the center will house an after-school social development program for low-income children named ‘orquestando armonia’.

the project is located in the mexican city of boca del río

‘the foro boca has the goal of functioning as an urban detonator capable of inciting modernity in the area’, explains rojkind arquitectos. ‘the forum itself is a tool that has permitted the reconstruction and renovation of the infrastructure and urban image of this part of the city.’ see designboom’s previous coverage of the project here.

the building’s shape was informed by the stones used for the foundation of the neighboring breakwater

large sculptural volumes house the concert hall as well as other programs

internal circulation routes span a central void

timber has been used throughout the scheme’s interiors

illumination is provided via carefully positioned apertures

the concert hall can accommodate up to 966 guests

the project forms part of a larger masterplan intended to revitalize the neighborhood

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rojkind arquitectos foro boca concert hall mexico designboom

project info:

architect: rojkind arquitectos | michel rojkind
team: agustín pereyra (project manager), arturo ortíz, adrián aguilar, sandra carvajal, fernanda casar, salvador cortéz, diego díaz lezama, paulina elizalde, rubén garcía, daniel gaytán, paulina goycoolea, jorge gonzález r., alfredo hernández , laura hernández, pablo herrera, julieta inclán, carsten lemme andrea león, félix mendoza, gerardo salinas, julio serralde, alfonso paz, cynthia ponce, víctor velázquez, ditter vergara, beatriz zavala
media: lorena garcía cordero / dinorah martínez schulte

structural engineer: EMRSA — enrique martínez sergio pérez, martín s. lópez, elsa serrano, miguel ángel allende josé mejía, kevin cruz, josé martínez vargas
acoustic consultants:
akustics — octavio barragán, cristian ezcurdia, hugo garduño
auerbach pollock — friedlander, len auerbach, kevin macphearson, tom neville
seamonk — lincoln aguirre, itzel alba, cristian ezcurdia, jorge romero
MEP engineer / specialties: gralte S.C. — jorge romero, daniel velázquez, ismael hernández, mario navarro, germán muñóz
lighting consultant: artec3 — maurici ginés, jose cardona, ana ayala, carmen valle, itzae cardeña
builder: ingenieria y desarrollo arquitectónico S.A. de C.V.