Category: Institutions
Region: Mexico
Year: 1993
Location: MEXICO CITY, MEXICO
FT2 Construction: 0 sq ft
FT2 Ground: 0 sq ft
Involved Areas: Architecture, Interior Design, Landscape Architecture
Collaborators:
ARQUITECTURA: LEGORRETA®
Ricardo Legorreta
Víctor legorreta
Noé Castro
Gerardo Alonso
Guillermo Díaz de Sandi
David Figueroa
INTERIORES: LEGORRETA®
Erica Krayer
ARQUITECTURA DEL PAISAJE: LEGORRETA®
Consultants:
STRUCTURAL DESIGN: ING. RAÚL IZQUIERDO
HVAC AND ELECTRICAL DESIGN: HUBARD Y BOURLON
CONTRACTOR: ICA, CONSTRUCCIÓN URBANA
Photographer:
Lourdes Legorreta
This Museum is for and of the Mexican children. It symbolizes the Mexican family. Situated at the edge of Chapultepec Park, the childrens museum is integrated to the fountains and the woods of Chapultepec. This symbolic connection is carried into the interior courtyard through the use of stone and water. The open and closed spaces are arranged naturally, inviting the visitor to wonder. Children are liberated here to gain an interest in discovery and feel as if the museum belongs exclusively to them. The challenge for the new Childrens Museum was both simple and complex. There was a need to welcome and inspire children about art and learning, otherwise they can be easily intimidated by the sheer size and volume of a museum facility, therefore the design had to work with understandable forms, materials and colors, which in term would stimulate childrens imagination and fantasies. The 260,000 sqft museum consists of an IMAX for 300 people, exhibits, multipurpose room, cafe, shop, administrative offices and outdoor exhibits. The basic geometry forms like cubes, sphere and triangular shapes are easily identified at a distance and are familiar to children. The variety of forms and spaces also awakes curiosity and retains the visitors interest during repeated visits. The volumes are defined by shape and color (traditional glazed tiles were used, recovering an ancient Mexican tradition). Natural light, colors and materials create a cheerful and exciting building that evokes both the character and the culture of Mexico. The Museum has been designed to be 100 percent interactive, with an atmosphere for children to touch and experience a new world. Working closely with the exhibit designers, we provided flexible exhibits which could be used and transformed by children. Murals on the walls and ceilings were done by them. One of the greatest challenges was to design a building which could sustain substantial abuse and little maintenance, therefore we used tile throughout the exterior of the building. Inside finishes are plaster walls, concrete and vinyl flooring. The childrens museum is a truly humane and joyful building, a statement of a countrys love for its children. The new facility stands as a visual testament to the most cherished possession of the Mexican people: its children.
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