Senior Capstone: Tlacoyonilili Volume 2: Final Design

MEXICO CITY

Tlacoyonililli: The Space In-Between Eugene Lee

ARC498 / SPRING 2021 / CAPSTONE / MAY 2021

Tlacoyonilili Mexico City is the birthplace of Tenochtitlan, which had roots in the Mexican Valley.

Tenochtitlan was Aztec's most important city, born on an island in Lake Texcoco, which merged with the Spanish colonial period and created a distinct character of Mexico City.

The people of Mexico City continued to develop the main axes of the city represented by four quadrants around the vast plaza called Plaza de la Constitución or Zócalo. As a result, the architecture of the 17th century to the present day has been preserved. These structures are characterized by a height of two or three stories with continuous street walls and interior courtyards. This spatial typology has been continuously used through monasteries, convents, palazzos, and significant public buildings. In particular, the city's open spaces have been an essential part of the city's public life.

The site is located a quarter-mile north of Tacuba and Hidalgo streets, one of the city's historically significant axes, connecting Plaza Zocalo with Alameda Central.

The site is at the intersection of the two newly proposed pedestrian pathways that connect Plaza Garibaldi to Museo Nacional De Arte, and Museo Franz Mayer to Santo Domingo. This intersection is where three different groups of people intersect with each other; tourists, local residents, and students. Each comes from a different sub-districts surrounding the site.

The essential backbone of this project was to create a space for these groups to interact, determining the shape, programs, and elements of the architecture. In particular, Mexico's unique plaza culture functions as the essential element for stitching people together.

Accordingly, the concept of 'Tlacoyonilili' has been used. 'Tlacoyonilili' means the space in between one thing and another in Nahuatl, the language of the Aztecs.

Accordingly, the buildings around the proposed plaza are assigned programs for three different groups. For tourists, an open library with a café is located on the northwest side of the site. Libraries and bookstores are spaces where tourists can glimpse the sentiment of each culture's everyday life. There are libraries and bookstores in every country, but the atmosphere varies according to each culture. For that reason, the adjacent café allows patrons to view those in the library. For the residents, a clinic and a community center has been assigned to the northeast. For students, a food court and the university extension are located to the south of the plaza. But no matter what group the people from, people can possess each program. This programmatic strategy will function to consolidate people in the plaza.

Another important program is the rooftop. As mentioned earlier, colonial Mexico City maintained the tradition of two-three stories buildings. Accordingly, people can witness the multilayered vistas created by the plaza, the building, buildings of the city, mountains, and the sky on the rooftop. To guide people to the top of the roof, a social stairway was placed. The staircase was inspired by two essential visual elements of Mesoamerican pyramids; 'triangle' and 'stairs.'

The goal of the project is to make a space of Tlacoyonilili to bring the different people together.

The social staircase, inspired by Mesoamerican pyramids, symbolizes the historical aspect. The snakeskin-like cantilever facade represents Quetzalcoatl, the serpent god of Aztec, the guardian of Tenochtitlan. At the center of the plaza, there's a well that allows water to rise into the plaza from the shallow water table during times of extreme water events recalling the ancient lake Texcoco. Taken together they make a bridge between the present and the past, continuing the history and tradition of the city.