In order to renovate and adapt the Morelia´s Zoo (one of the largest in Mexico due to the number of species it houses) to the new environmental, social and cultural conditions of its context, the winners of the First Contest were announced. of Ideas for the “BENITO JUAREZ ECOLOGICAL PARK”, convened in a joint effort by the Morelia´s Zoo, the Ministry of Urban Development and Mobility of the Government of Michoacan, the Ministry of the Environment and the Universidad Michoacana de San Nicolas de Hidalgo.

The objective of the contest was to develop a project that allows taking advantage of the systemic potentialities of the current complex, proposing strategies that, from a holistic vision, promote the new "BENITO JUAREZ ECOLOGICAL PARK" from a new perspective to redefine it, reintegrate it and readapt it to understand the new dynamics of life, extolling its environmental, landscape, social, economic and urban value, as well as its recreational and educational vocation.

With the participation of 44 teams (including students from the Faculty of Architecture of the UMNSH, graduates and Mexican and international architects), the deliberation and decision of the jury took place in July of this year, selecting a winning team, as well as creditor participants. to second place, third place and two honorable mentions. The winning proposal belongs to the team of: Celia Atzimba Granados Campos (Partner-director of SIN TITULO ARQUITECTURA), Luis Jacobo Villafuerte (Partner-director of SIN TITULO ARQUITECTURA), Rodrigo Pantoja Calderón (Founder and director of EVO (A) LAB), Natalia Olivera and Rafael Luviano.

This project stands out for being a holistic proposal -in the medium term-, and is considered in different scales and phases. It is a systemic idea that considers -small and large- actions inside and outside the Benito Juarez Zoological Park. Therefore, this project takes into account the water cycle, urban connections and green corridors, as well as economic strategies for financial sustainability of the Benito Juarez Zoo.

Four key axes were defined for its development: Urban Connections, History, Water and Environment, and Economic Strategy. On an urban and city scale, its design allows for better pedestrian connectivity from the exterior to the interior of the building, blurring the perimeter of the Zoo to create visual permeability and expand the landscape quality of the park with ecosystem benefits.

One of the characteristic elements of the project is the integration of towers with a warped structure, which allow the collection of rainwater and generate interactive and recreational elements, such as a zip line and viewpoints.

Taking into account that the current Morelia's Zoo represents the largest living space in the state of Michoacan, nature-based strategies were considered in order to mitigate flooding, subsoil seepage, and cleaning of the existing drain. Finally, the progressive substitution of exotic vegetation is proposed, by endemic flora and adapted to the environment.

Credits

First Place: Celia Atzimba Granados Campos, Luis Jacobo Villafuerte, Rodrigo Pantoja Calderón, Natalia Olivera, Rafael Luviano

Second place: Pablo Flores, Joel Ayala, Fernando Ferreyra.

Third place: André Banda

Honorable mentions: Pilar Cruz and Bettina Roger / María Tellez, Daniela Santillán, Carlos Villalón and Pamela Tinoco.

Jury: Marije van Lidth de Jeude, Oliver Schütte, Daniel Daou, Elena Tudela Rivadeneyra, Fortino Acosta, Adriana Chávez, Alfonso Garduño Jardón, María Teresa Cortés, Arnulfo Blanco.

Organizers: Government of Michoacan, Ministry of Urban Development and Mobility, Morelia´s Zoo, Universidad Michoacana de San Nicolas de Hidalgo, Faculty of Architecture UMNSH, Territorial Intelligence Unit.