AUTOMEX FACTORY | PROJECTS | Legorreta Arquitectos
AUTOMEX FACTORY

Category: Institutions
Region: Mexico
Year: 1964
Location: TOLUCA, STATE OF MEXICO, MEXICO
FT2 Construction: 129 sq ft
FT2 Ground: 0 sq ft
Involved Areas: Architecture

Collaborators:
LEGORRETA®
Ricardo Legorreta
Carlos Vargas Senior
Noé Castro

Associate Architects:
Mathías Goeritz

Consultants:

Structural Design: S.G. Construcciones
MEP: S.G. Construcciones
Contractor: S.G. Construcciones

Photographer:

Kati Horna
Compañía Mexicana de Aerofoto
Felipe Cliamo
Ricardo Legorreta


The main purpose of the Project searches to break with old concepts, according to which a factory is just a working place, therefore doesnt have to be an attractive and human place. This is a very important industrial unit of which just the first stage has been built; the manufacture engine plant, the offices, services and cafeteria. Foreseeing any possible increases, not only the existing buildings, but also of new industries of the unit, an exterior railway circuit has been created as well as a central axis of automobiles, pedestrian and trailers access which ends in the large plaza of the cones, two buildings which have become the attraction points of the plant. The largest contains a water tank in its upper part and an auditorium in its lower part and the smallest contains a cistern. Extensive parameters and big open spaces mark out the whole unit and distinguish it with the help of some basic materials and textures. Located in a building lot of 6,148,260 Sqft of surface, this plant was planned to lodge all the different activities of the Automex Factory. In this project a new concept of industrial architecture has been used, breaking the old inhuman concepts which supposes that an industrial plant is foreign to any idea of comfort to the worker, and also that the aesthetic sense of the building is superfluous. In this work, instead, has been intended to give it a kind and human characteristic within a truly Mexican context, based on big solid wall, windows and adequate places with big open spaces, gardens and large circulations to automobiles as well as pedestrians. With an excellent public road and railway access, a road engineering system of unit has been obtained, very simple and functional: the vehicle access by the East Boulevard and the perimeter ring which would be useful to the different unit plants of autos, without the necessity of automobiles to cross from one place to another.The whole project includes the engine plant, the assembling plant and cafeteria, control booth, parking for the new vehicles, test track and enough space for the construction of complementary plants to those mentioned above. The main access is located on the East Boulevard. From here the main avenue of the unit starts and finishes in the “Automex Plaza of the Cones”. These cones are two extraordinary concrete sculptures. The first one is an elevated tank for water storage which holds in its interior an auditorium for 400 people; the second cone is bounded as a deposit system. Next to the entrance is the engine plant with 93,000 Sqft. It is composed of platforms facilitated to the simulations unloading of four railway wagons and three trailers. This plant has the necessary machinery for the manufacture and assembly of engines.The structure of the building is made of iron with an ingenious cover which, following the outlines of the frameworks, forms a plastic and aluminium panels placed at 45° to obtain an excellent natural diffuse illumination, ideal for the work. The exterior walls are partition walls re-covered of Oaxaca Stone and with windows toward large gardens. Apart from the production offices of this plant, there are also dressing rooms and showers for the workers. An extension of the plant, up to 50% of the actual surface, was foreseen. On the south of the cones plaza, the office building is located with a surface of 14,348 Sqft, which consists in structure made of assembled concrete frames and big polarized glass windows which allows great view amplitude toward the gardens and the plaza. Sun burn problems had been solved with a protection made of aluminum window blinds by the south side and a circulation portico which communicates with the cafeteria and the engine plant by the north side. Located between the office building and the engine plant, there is the cafeteria with a surface of 480 m2 and with capacity for 300 workers, 60 executives and 90 office employees. The cafeteria has a complete equipment of kitchen and storage. Annexed to the kitchen there is the service station for vehicles of the plant as well as for vehicles tests. As the auxiliaries building, the plant has a shed for workers bicycles as well as an entrance booth in which there are the undertaking office, the medical service and the trade union. Finally, the sports camps of the city were built.The amount of the civil, mechanical and electric construction of the plant has been of $18,780,870 USD and lasting 7 months and a half. It was projected and constructed by the Mexican technicians with the advice of North American specialists in engines manufacture.



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