Category: Institutions,Not Built
Region: Mexico
Year: 2014
Location: MEXICO CITY, MEXICO
FT2 Construction: 0 sq ft
FT2 Ground: 0 sq ft
Involved Areas: Architecture, Interior Design

Collaborators:
LEGORRETA^®
Víctor Legorreta
Miguel Almaraz
Adriana Ciklik
Carlos Vargas
Miguel Alatriste
Daniel Rosselló
Johanna Miñarro
Berenice Corona
Mariana Gómez
Fernanda Argüello
Andrés Martínez Lanz
Roberto López
Regina Martínez
Joel Rojas
Fredy López
Héctor Guillén
Koji Maquita

Associate Architects:
Rogers Stirk Harbour + Partners:
Richard Rogers
Ivan Harbour
Lennart Grut
Richard Paul
Simon Smithson
Ian Birtles
Andrew Tyley
Georgina Robledo
Jason Garcia
Neil Southard
Carmen Pena
Dan Hanna
Daniel Bazo
Lorna Edwards
Maria Taboada
Mariola Merino
Matilde Napoleao
Pedro Morales
Ramon Mendoza
Steve Martin
Vajini Panilla
Vidal Fernandez
Zoe Webber
Mark Ng
Robert Richardson
Tobi Frenzen
Jon Mercer 
Anna Sebastia
Veronika Gliwa

Consultants:

Interior Design: LegoRogers (LEGORRETA^®  + Rogers Stirk Harbour + Partners).
Airport Consultant & Air Traffic Control Tower Designer: ADPI.
Acoustic: Stantec.
Automated People Mover (APM): Lea + Elliot.
Aviation Planning / Modeling and Simulations: Stantec.
Security: Stantec + Logen.
Special Systems, IT & Communication Systems & Airport Systems Engineer (Including Telephone Network, Fire Alarm System & Public Address System): Stantec + Logen.
Sustainability / Environmental: Stantec + Civita.
Vertical Transportation: Stantec.
Facades & Roof Structure: Schlaich Bergermann und Partners. 
Lighting Design: Stantec + Artenluz.
Civil Engineer: Stantec + TGC Ingeniería.
Cost Benchmarking and Local Cost Consultant: Hanscomb.
Fire Code Consultant: Stantec + Ashes Fire.
Geotechnical Engineer: Stantec + TGC Geotecnia.
MEP Engineer: Stantec + Eclisa + Diseos Eléctricos Complejos. 
Parking / Forecourt / Drop-off: Steer Davies UK + Steer Davies Mexico. 
Pavement Engineer: Stantec.
Structural Engineer: Stantec + S+O.
Warehousing, Transportation, Food Services and Logistics: Stantec. Baggaging Handling System / Hold Baggage Screening System: BNP + Stantec. Retail: Stantec.
Landscape: Gillespies + Eliseo Arredondo.
Code Consultant and Facilitator: Stantec + Ashes Fire
Wayfinding + Signage: MIjksenaar + Stantec.
Fuel System around Apron: ADPI + Stantec.
Airport Simulation Models:  ADPI.
Pedestrian & Vehicles Simulation Models: Steer Davies  UK + Steer Davies Mexico. Wind Study: RWDI.
Earthquakes: Stantec.
Airplanes Support Systems: Stantec.
Inmigration Services: Stantec.
Furniture, Fixture & Equipment (FF&E): LegoRogers + Stantec.
BIM: Stantec.
Design Management / Construction Planning: Stantec.
Project Administration Controls: Stantec.
Seismic Consultancy: Stantec.
Risk Assesment: Stantec.

Photographer:
LEGOROGERS


LegoRogers’ vision for the New Mexico City Airport puts the people of Mexico at its heart. Inspired by the country’s unique culture, it is a flexible and multi-faceted ‘place for people’ that acts as an extension of the city and reflects the daily rhythms of Mexican life. More than just an airport, the scheme is envisaged as the first component of a masterplan for the development of the City and a catalyst for urban regeneration, connecting local communities to new transport links and knitting the airport into the wider urban fabric.

The unique, sculptural design creates an architectural ‘front door’ for Mexico, offering a distinct visual identity that speaks specifically of the people and the place. A zócalo (public square) at the main entrance greets visitors and brings the public realm directly into the airport by providing spaces for people to meet and interact, creating an environment as welcoming to family and friends as it is to passengers. 

This smooth transition from city to airport continues into the main building – an original and uplifting structure with a high ceiling and soaring, light-filled halls that complement the building’s generous public forecourt. The layout is based around two focal points, or Patios, at each end of a series of main piers, or Paseos (public boulevards), which contain the waiting lounges, boarding gates and landscaped spaces. This simple arrangement mirrors the city’s beautiful sequence of streets and squares, with additional external Patios replicating its public gardens where passengers can plane spot and wait to travel.

Colour supports clear and intuitive wayfinding within the terminal: international passengers turn left; transborder passengers turn right; and domestic passengers move straight ahead through a separate, but linked, check-in hall. Walking distances are never more than 400 metres to the gates. This ease of orientation is enhanced by the modular structure that creates a visual link through the various spaces and offers an equality of experience for both arriving and departing passengers. 

The resulting legibility of movement and form humanises the building and creates an environment in which the experience of travel can be enjoyed rather than just endured. A world-leading multi-modal transportation hub unparalleled in its flexibility, efficiencies and beauty, LegoRogers’ New Mexico City Airport project stands both as an emblem of Mexico’s current global status and a marker of its future ambitions.

• Mexico City International Airport. Eight architectural proposals