rojkind arquitectos: liverpool department store in mexico city

rojkind arquitectos have sent us new photos of the liverpool shopping center they have designed on the outskirts of mexico city. the 30,000 square meter department store has a double-layered stainless steel facade, a three-story atrium and the roof terrace which will contain a park-like setting.

image © rojkind arquitectos, photo by paúl rivera (also main image)

following text from rojkind arquitectos:

understanding the new role shopping centers play in today’s society, in which they have become a magnet for social encounters and even cultural exchanges, rojkind arquitectos was commissioned to design a facade for the new 30,000m2 department store as part of a new era in the company’s pursuit for rebranding itself. liverpool department stores, with a 164-year- old history, have for the most part always been one of the main anchor stores for large shopping centers in mexico. its strategic location plays an important role in the immediate urban context.

located in the northern ‘car dependent’ suburb of interlomas on the outskirts of mexico city, this relatively new suburb is characterized by a lack of open public space and a myriad of roads on which pedestrians are not welcomed. the new facade responds to a fast pace of the everyday life in this isolated suburb, sitting in the middle of a very congested intersection of highways and overpasses, which give it a futuristic ‘blade runner-like’ feel.

image © rojkind arquitectos, photo by paúl rivera

image © rojkind arquitectos, photo by paúl rivera

with an existing circular footprint, the customization process of fabricating directly from 3D models drove the ideas behind the facade design intent. speed became a very important factor in the way the project is experienced. flexibility, fluidity and dynamism drove the design process.

the double-layered facade shelters the store and it’s users from its chaotic environment. it’s sleek stainless steel machine-like exterior, is intended to evolve in a very fluid way as the intense sun bathes it throughout the day. it’s a contradiction to the grit and chaos of its surroundings; a juxtaposition that becomes a new reference for this part of the city.

at night the hollow cavity between the layers of the facade will be engulfed in light that will subtly escape through the fine reliefs formed at the folds in the skin. the facade transforms at night from its solid monochromatic appearance during the day to a dynamic form accented by light.

image © rojkind arquitectos, photo by paúl rivera

image © rojkind arquitectos, photo by paúl rivera

as part of this new endeavor by the client, multiple design firms were selected to participate in the various parts of the project: the interiors were done by FRCH, the rooftop garden by thomas balsley and the gourmet space by JHP. in the initial workshops sessions, it became clear that the main central interior space needed to reflect the dynamic nature of the exterior so the client retained rojkind arquitectos to design this space as well. as the visitor enters, they are met by a three-story atrium full of movement and filtered daylight that encourages the visitor to move throughout the department store. the curved backlit balconies are intended to be a reminder of the fluidity of the exterior facade but at a more human scale as opposed to the urban scale of the exterior facade.

image © rojkind arquitectos, photo by paúl rivera

this play between the inside and outside is intended to create a sense of discovery for the user that culminates at the roof garden.the roof terrace will contain a park-like setting that can be enjoyed not only by the store visitors but also by the surrounding local community, thus enhancing the social role that the department store will play. the complexity of the project combined with a very tight schedule and a difficult urban site condition, required the combination of a highly skilled design team and collaborators in which the interconnectivity and digital de- sign tools have radically transformed the way we design and construct buildings today.

image © rojkind arquitectos, photo by paúl rivera

image © rojkind arquitectos, photo by paúl rivera

location diagrams
image © rojkind arquitectos

facade and views diagram
image © rojkind arquitectos

constitutive parts of the project diagram
image © rojkind arquitectos

facade diagram
image © rojkind arquitectos

longitudinal section
image © rojkind arquitectos

exploded detail section
image © rojkind arquitectos

building section and technical drawings
render: © rojkind arquitectos
drawings by zahner

panel layout diagram
image © rojkind arquitectos
drawing by zahner

facade anchoring detail
image © rojkind arquitectos
drawing by zahner

facade anchoring detail
image © rojkind arquitectos
drawing by zahner

facade mock – up
render: © rojkind arquitectos

atrium guardrail detail
photo: © rojkind arquitectos

atrium plan, level 1
image © rojkind arquitectos

atrium plan, level 2
image © rojkind arquitectos

atrium plan, rooftop level
image © rojkind arquitectos

project info:

program: retail
construction area: 30,000 sqm
status: under construction
designed: july – december 2010
construction: march – october 2011
location: huixquilucan, state of mexico
client: liverpool

client team
director of planning: martin perez miranda
construction director: roberto pazos
corporate project manager: iliana davila
project manager: eumir salgado
project coordinator: javier robles
project manager in charge: luis gonzález
corners manager: maria elena meneses
corners coordinator: laura elena flores
construction coordinator: magali posadas
construction coordinator: juan manuel moreno
manager of material finishes: sofia otto

architect: rojkind arquitectos – michel rojkind halpert [founding partner],
gerardo salinas van orman [partner]
project team: joe r. tarr, djurdja milutinovic, rodrigo medina, phillip schlauch, birgit hammer, jose carlos lombana, abhirabika agrawal,
rosalba rojas chávez, dolores robles – martínez gómez, andrea león cruz
media: monique rojkind
facade engineer: studio NYL, chris o’hara, julian lineham
facade coordination / fabrication: zahner metals, tom zahner, paul martin, will cox, shannon cole, jim mendenhall, diego zurutuza
design computational consultant: kokkugia, robert smith, roland snooks, casey rehm
structural engineer: EMRSA
interiors: FRCH design worldwide
restaurant consultant: jhp design
landscape consultant: thomas balsley associates
renders: axel fridman