Add To Collection
Add to Collection
Templo
Templo
Mexico City, Mexico
View Original
Add To Collection
Add to Collection
View Original
Add To Collection
Add to Collection
View Original
Add To Collection
Add to Collection
View Original
Add To Collection
Add to Collection
View Original
Add To Collection
Add to Collection
View Original
Add To Collection
Add to Collection
View Original
Add To Collection
Add to Collection
View Original
Add To Collection
Add to Collection
View Original
Add To Collection
Add to Collection
View Original
Add To Collection
Add to Collection
View Original
Add To Collection
Add to Collection
View Original
Add To Collection
Add to Collection
View Original
Add To Collection
Add to Collection
View Original
Add To Collection
Add to Collection
View Original
Add To Collection
Add to Collection
View Original
Add To Collection
Add to Collection
View Original
Add To Collection
Add to Collection
Other Projects by Cherem Arquitectos
Templo
Mexico City, Mexico
Firm
STATUS
Built
YEAR
2017
SIZE
25,000 sqft - 100,000 sqft
The Temple appears on a quaint street as a solid, completely sealed mass measuring 30 × 20 × 19 meters. Its architectural party resulted from an intention to contain all necessary spaces and services within a solid block of marble and steel. The envelope has several nested cubic volumes generating double height interior spaces. A steel framework, columns, and concrete platforms structurally support the building. Along the elevation of the building, noble exposed material elements such as wood and stone are the protagonists. Each of the four floors achieves a very specific function dependent on the activities that occur below. The eastern and western facades are load–bearing elements, which simultaneously diffuse natural light for the interior. The eastern end of the Temple with a svelte facade that climbs 19 meters, lines in onyx along thirty–five long, slender steel beams that run its entire length. During late evenings, these reflected illumination from the stone strips bathe the Temple in a natural, soft, tan light. The two lateral facades —north and south— are entirely covered in marble plaques. The Temple's southern end is a solid wall, shielding interiors from harsh daytime insolation. Slightly canted, downward pitching marble plaques lend the exterior a sense of movement, a welcome change of pace to an otherwise rigid face. When it darkens during evenings and nights these subtle elements gain a new life as light screens and diffusers for natural and artificial illumination. Toward the south, the northern facade was offset by two meters, making space for the building's entrance and a continuous stairwell, which connects all levels and spaces. Separation between the interior and exterior is established by glass panels lined with elegant steel frames that can configure the space into open, semi–permeable or closed configurations. When in their perpendicular configuration, relative to the direction of the closed partition, the framed glass panels line up with the wooden ribbons that run along the ceiling, their frames blending into the dark material, giving the optical illusion of a series of floating panels or a rhythmic play of slightly reflective surfaces. Above these more public spaces, the second and third floors are predominantly occupied by the Temple. The first of these levels is only for men while the second is reserved for women (Ezrat Nashim). In the inferior level of the Temple, within the double height space, lies the Teba and the Hejal, a volume lined with solid brass plaques that catch different light conditions. The onyx detailing and steel ribs, illuminated from above, turn light into a protagonist in this space, into the defining architectural element. Inward facing, Ezrat Nashim balconies are arranged in a horseshoe configuration, each separated by glass railings and covered in a perforated brass mesh, which in conjunction to the Hejal, give the space a warm quality.
Whether in its facade or in its detailing, the building represents the intersection of a pure material use and the mastery of its resulting combinations allowing the Temple to become a singular, religious architectural element.
Whether in its facade or in its detailing, the building represents the intersection of a pure material use and the mastery of its resulting combinations allowing the Temple to become a singular, religious architectural element.
Product Spec Sheet
Were your products used?
Join as a manufacturer to add your products.