Tlalpan 2860

Site, Context, Location, General Description
The site where the project is located is interesting for two main reasons: its urban context and the two major avenues that border it. Calzada de Tlalpan and Avenida División del Norte are both highly trafficked streets. We took this “urban chaos” as an opportunity to design a global and regenerative development, one that reflects on the relationship between city and nature. The project aims to understand the site’s energy and accompany it in a natural way, as if the building had existed before the roads. The concept seeks for the architecture to settle as lightly as possible, creating continuity and unity through a single façade shared by all apartments. After studying the program, the proposal took shape as a site plan composed of two identical wings that, when joined, form a semicircle. This gesture reduces the building’s presence along the avenue and sets it back as much as possible from División del Norte, creating distance from the surrounding “urban chaos” and offering residents a quieter environment.

Park and Building
Our goal is to preserve the ground floor as a large park that can support future development in the area. On this level, only the lobbies and the access cores to the vertical circulations (elevators and staircases) are located.
We achieved a height of more than 4.5 meters, supported by a series of columns that give the space multiple spatial possibilities. By keeping parking on underground levels, the apartments begin one floor above grade, ensuring better views and reducing noise from the streets. Some amenities are located on the upper level and others within the park, offering greater flexibility of use. The project is conceived to be developed in two phases. The repetition of the typical floor plan across levels reduces construction cost and time, allowing for a more efficient execution.

Basement and Ground Floor
All parking is distributed across two underground levels, organized in split floors. The building’s main structure extends directly to the foundations to avoid any weak points. The rigid cores and the curved form of the building reinforce its stability and increase resistance to seismic activity. Likewise, the curved geometry facilitates the construction of the retaining walls and optimizes costs, as the curve is self-supporting and requires less reinforcement in the initial stages of construction. Parking spaces are divided into three sizes—the largest designed as private boxes, while the rest are generously sized stalls—avoiding conflicts and ensuring compliance with accessibility regulations. The ground floor design prioritizes pedestrians. Anyone walking beneath the elevated avenue will find, at the end of the visual corridor, a park; behind it, the interplay of levels created by a plinth raised 1.8 meters above the sidewalk; and finally, a light terracotta-red building resting on slender columns. Each lobby maintains a central corridor: on one side, a fixed reception desk with visibility toward both access points; on the other, a waiting area and mailboxes. The plan also includes a secured parcel room and a service restroom for staff. Large closets are integrated into the reception area, serving as luggage storage and wardrobes for maintenance personnel.

Typical Floor and Roof Level
The typical floor plan—repeated from levels 2 to 6—was designed for efficiency, with high-quality circulation and the shortest possible corridors. Apartments are arranged radially, minimizing the area lost to hallways. Each unit has a balcony of identical size, facing the façade. Non-structural partition walls allow for thinner profiles and greater modular flexibility, enabling the building to potentially adapt to other uses, such as offices. The top floor, or roof level, contains five duplex apartments—the largest in each tower—each with its own terrace. The elevator opens onto a shared terrace with barbecue areas and a lap pool. On one side of the access corridor is the gym or playroom; on the other, a multipurpose room opening onto the terrace. Two restrooms, for men and women, complete the amenities on this level. The roof supports photovoltaic panels that supply power for the building’s common areas—elevators, lighting, and amenities. Each tower includes a core with two elevators and two staircases, sufficient for the 85 apartments. A small waiting area is located in front of the elevators. The typical floor repeats identically across five levels; only the first floor, with one additional apartment, and the top level, with five duplex units, differ.

Section
This transversal section summarizes the logic of the towers. Each level has a clear purpose: parking, access, garden, apartments, and rooftop. The entire structure is built in concrete, with exposed areas made of pigmented concrete. The selected color, a light terracotta red, contrasts with the park’s vegetation. Window frames are slightly recessed from the slab line, and the balcony railings attach to vertical posts that create a rhythmic pattern along the façade. The depth of the slabs allows installations to be fully integrated while also contributing to the building’s aesthetic expression. Much of the design effort focuses on establishing a visual and urban reference point for the area’s future development.

Overall View
From the outset, the project prioritizes rationality and efficiency. Its first form of sustainability lies in its compact geometry and its climatic responsiveness, achieved through its semicircular shape. The goal was to create a modern building that does not require air conditioning. The façade columns and cantilevered slabs provide shade and solar protection, reducing heat gain. These same elements also help buffer street noise and enhance the views toward the surrounding roads. The ground floor opens generous space through a semi-open plan, allowing greater integration of vegetation. A large number of trees are planned, improving rainwater absorption, lowering temperatures, and supporting local biodiversity—an approach also extended to the roof garden. Most of the building’s energy needs for common areas are supplied by solar panels on the roof. While total self-sufficiency is not sought, the design ensures on-site energy generation for systems that operate 24 hours a day.