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Fortress of Time
Fortress of Time
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Fortress of Time
On september 19th, 2017, a 7.1 magnitude earthquake struck mexico, being the most devastating in a generation. a seven-story office block in central mexico city, Alvaro Obregon 286, was the deadliest site where only the building’s stairwell remained standing as a witness of the original structure height. a few months after the tragedy, the mexican government hosted a public competition, but we proposed a new urban response.
The public competition for a memorial to be built on the site of Alvaro Obregon 286 sparked controversy among activist groups. They argued that the city government was focusing on ‘creating a physical space’ rather than conducting an investigation into what caused the building to collapse. the winner’s proposed memorial comes across as particularly outrageous, given the city’s recent history of questionable construction.
Our approach to the project was not to build on the site, but to preserve the nature where the urban constructions have failed. We propose not to build, or at least ‘not with the typical sense of a memorial for collective catharsis or a new building for real estate speculation in the central city’.
We wish to reconstruct the remaining back stairwell, as a gratitude symbol because it was the egress route that saved the lives of many people inside the building. We suggest to add a bell at the top of the structure that with its deep sound, evokes emotion and memories to inspire the community. the second element of the project entails an extensive circular wall where its only door is opened once a year, every september 19th, resulting in what we call ‘a fortress of time’.
Mexico City is built on a dry lakebed with soft soil made up of sand and clay, which amplifies the destruction that major earthquakes cause. As the city continues to pull water from acquifers below, its ground is sinking dramatically. Thus, the proposal attempts to return to nature what has always belonged to it: soil, rain, sun, wind and trees, which we think is a better way to reimagine urban development. Just for not building in that place the aquifer will gain 580,000 liters every year, and most importantly: it prevents future disasters in that place. a new urban consciousness.
The public competition for a memorial to be built on the site of Alvaro Obregon 286 sparked controversy among activist groups. They argued that the city government was focusing on ‘creating a physical space’ rather than conducting an investigation into what caused the building to collapse. the winner’s proposed memorial comes across as particularly outrageous, given the city’s recent history of questionable construction.
Our approach to the project was not to build on the site, but to preserve the nature where the urban constructions have failed. We propose not to build, or at least ‘not with the typical sense of a memorial for collective catharsis or a new building for real estate speculation in the central city’.
We wish to reconstruct the remaining back stairwell, as a gratitude symbol because it was the egress route that saved the lives of many people inside the building. We suggest to add a bell at the top of the structure that with its deep sound, evokes emotion and memories to inspire the community. the second element of the project entails an extensive circular wall where its only door is opened once a year, every september 19th, resulting in what we call ‘a fortress of time’.
Mexico City is built on a dry lakebed with soft soil made up of sand and clay, which amplifies the destruction that major earthquakes cause. As the city continues to pull water from acquifers below, its ground is sinking dramatically. Thus, the proposal attempts to return to nature what has always belonged to it: soil, rain, sun, wind and trees, which we think is a better way to reimagine urban development. Just for not building in that place the aquifer will gain 580,000 liters every year, and most importantly: it prevents future disasters in that place. a new urban consciousness.
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