opposite: site layers below: the plaza as an active urban space is a setpiece in the theatre of its surroundings.
This research presented several design strategies to support and amplify the immediate urban area of Tlatelolco: impromptu markets in the plaza can be formalised, the three levels of the site can be physically linked, and the historical and social significance of the plaza itself can be respected – any intervention should subsume itself into the infrastructure of the plaza. Instead of beginning the design process by establishing the location of the building program, the team first clarified the entrance to the plaza. The steps found along the south-east end of the plaza were extended across the entire east edge, increasing the accessibility of the plaza and more closely matching its scale of importance. Meanwhile, on the other side of the plaza we addressed the ambiguous access to the Aztec ruins. Though there is a well-lit circuitous pathway through the ruins there was no prominent entrance. Instead, tucked behind the cathedral along the east edge of the site was a small plaque and makeshift temporary stairs. Here was an opportunity for the museum to play an infrastructural role in providing a clear entrance to the ruins from the plaza. In addressing the significance of the plaza proper, both in the historical context and its day-to-day contribution to the city, we wrapped the perimeter of the plaza with a continuous and permeable canopy that both defines and activates its edge. This encourages the growth of the weekly local market that occurs in the plaza as well as seasonal festivals put on by the local community. Additionally, through its embedded photovoltaics, the canopy generates energy to drive the various digital and
hydrological systems envisioned for the Infographics Centre. At the centre of the plaza we expressed the Infographics Centre’s triple-height exhibition space as a monumental onyx clad extrusion surrounded by a reflecting pool which helps regulate the temperature of the plaza. This is both a means of acknowledging the memorial nature of the site as well as a means of diffusing that very solemnity by providing a cool, civic amenity during the day and a beacon at night, as the activities within the Infographic centre below illuminate the square above. Finally, we addressed the program of the Infographics Centre itself, located beneath the plaza. At the western edge of the reflecting pool, visitors descend from the plaza into a sunken forecourt immersed in vegetation and the sound of falling water. This offers a moment of quiet reprieve from the city above and provides a small oasis for gatherings and for staging events. Visitors enter the Infographics Centre through a passage defined by a wall of luminous niches that house digital displays and artefacts. The entrance to the ruins from the plaza is always open; the archive portion of the Infographics Centre can be closed without severing access to the Aztec level. Towards the end, on the right, the passage expands into expands into a triple height exhibition space. During the day, the translucent Mexican- onyx-clad gallery will be filled with a warm, diffused light. Here reproductions of codices and examples of early cartography hang suspended within the tall, light-filled volume. The large hall easily accommodates both rotating exhibits of public projects and artefacts on permanent display.
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archives and museums: On Site review 20
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