Cristina mena arjona
PORTfolio
Design Projects 2012-2019
Architecture & Urban
Curriculum Vitae
Cristina mena arjona
Architect/ Urban Designer
30 May 1989 4 Palmer House, 76-84 Fortress Road NW52HH, London, UK +44 07.76.12.225.85 / arqcristinamena@gmail.com
Professional Experience 01.2018-04.2019 11.2014-08.2016
CRISTINA MENA ARCHITECTURE / Monterrey, Mx / Freelance Architect
01.2017-06.2017
UCL / London, UK / Consultant in Urban Development
Community Centre for a church, 650 m2, Monterrey, RIBA Stages 0-3 Columbarium Chapel, 100 m2, Monterrey, RIBA Stages 0-3 Interior Design for a flat of 130 m2, €56k, Monterrey, RIBA Stages 0-6 Private Chapel, 50 m2, Monterrey, RIBA Stages 0-3 Responsabilities : Projet Management, Conceptual Design, Architectural and Technical Development, Construction Detailing, 3D Visualisation, Graphic Info, Site Supervision, Surveys, Coordination with : Clients, Constructors, Developers and Engineers.
Yangon, Myanmar: City-wide Strategies for Slum Upgrading / http://bit.ly/YangonReport Deptford, London: Managing the Moment of Change / http://bit.ly/DeptfordReport Brescia, Italy: BUDD Camp on Refugees and Cities Responsabilities : Research, Interviews, Mapping, Participatory Design Activities, Strategic Business Development, Report Writing, Engagement with : Communities, Local Governments, Universities, and Civil Society Organisations.
11.2015-08.2016
OTRA ARQUITECTURA / Monterrey, Mx / Architect Projets : Housing, Commercial and Interior Design in Mexico, RIBA Stages 0-5 Responsabilities : Conceptual Design, Architectural and Technical Development, Construction Detailing, 3D Visualisation, Rendering.
05.2013-11.2015
LANDA ARQUITECTOS / Monterrey, Mx / Junior Architect Single Family Home, 650 m2, €550k, Monterrey, RIBA Stages 2-5 Pabellón M: Tower, Convention Centre and Auditorium, 19,485 m2, €98M, Monterrey, RIBA Stages 4-5 Parque Centro: Masterplan commercial/ housing/ offices, 209,000 m2, €45M, Saltillo (Mx), RIBA Stages 1-4 Il Mercato Gentiloni: Restaurants and Commerces, 6,700m2, Saltillo (Mx), €10M, RIBA Stages 0-5 Responsabilities : Conceptual Design, Architectural and Technical Development, Construction Detailing, 3D Visualisation, Rendering, Site Supervision, Surveys, Coordination with : Clients, Constructors, Contractors, Developers and Engineers.
09.2012-12.2012
DOMINIQUE PERRAULT ARCHITECTURE / Paris, Fr / Intern La Poste du Louvre, Restructuration, 35.000 m2, €80M, Paris, RIBA Stages 1-3 Responsabilities : Physical Models, Graphic Visualisation, Architectonic, Demolition and Fire and Security Plans.
Academic Formation 09.2016-09.2017
UNIVERSITY COLLEGE LONDON (UCL) / London, UK MSc Building and Urban Design in Development (BUDD) / Distinction / DISSERTATION : Urban Sprawl as a Creator of Social Exclusion: The relationship between Housing and Mobility in Monterrey, Mexico (Marked A) / http://bit.ly/DissertationCMA
08.2008-12.2013
INSTITUTO TECNOLÓGICO Y DE ESTUDIOS SUPERIORES DE MONTERREY (ITESM) / Monterrey, Mx BA Architecture (5 year Bachelor Degree) / AVERAGE: 91.3/100 Escala Project Management Seminar / Legorreta-Tagliabue XI Urban Design Studio (Distrito Tec Publication) / Orange Investments Real-Estate Development Studio / CEMEX XIX Advanced Architecture Studio / International Internship Programme
2008-2012 2008-2010 08.2005-05.2008
Participation and Coordination of Student Group OHANA / Summer Camps for vulnerable children in foster homes Participation and Coordination of International Arquitecture Congresses ITESM
INSTITUTO TECNOLÓGICO Y DE ESTUDIOS SUPERIORES DE MONTERREY (ITESM) Highschool / Monterrey, Mx / IBO Certificate History, Superior Level - 6
Distinctions and Publications 2017
XX Biennial of Architecture and Urbanism of Chile : Diálogos Impostergables / Participant / UCL BUDD : Resisting Bordering Practices
2014
Revelations + Alternatives : An Encounter with the Zone of Tecnológico de Monterrey / Co-autor / ISBN : 978-607-501-294-0
Skills and Software IT Tools Languages Other
AutoCAD (X-Ref) / Revit / 3DS Max / Rhino / Sketchup + Vray / Adobe Creative Suite / MICROSOFT Office English & French - Fluent written and spoken / Italian - Intermediate / Spanish - Native / German - Basic Hand Sketching / Writing / Research / Photography / Graphic Design / Acrylic and Oil Painting
Table of Contents
Professional
Professional
Academic
Community
Experience - Freelancer
Experience - Studios
Work
Engagement
Interior
p.6
Highpark Flat 2016 /130m / Mty, Mx 2
p.22
Residential
Casa Herradura 2015 /-m / Mty, Mx 2
Collab. Landa Arquitectos/TAL
p.26
Commercial
Il Mercato gentiloni 2015 /-m / Saltillo, Mx 2
Collab. Landa Arquitectos
Religious
Regeneration
p.10
Jbp community centre 2015-18 / 600m / Mty, Mx
p.14
Jbp Columbarium chapel 2015 / 100m / Mty, Mx
p.18
Salinas chapel 2016 / 60m / Mty, Mx
2
2
2
p.30
La Poste du Louvre 2012 /35,000m / Paris, Fr 2
Collab. Dominique Perrault
Mixed Use
p.32
p.40
meeting point cuauhtémoc 2011 /-m / Mty, Mx
p.42
Distrito Tec 2013 /- m / Mty, Mx
2
Pabellón m 2012 /93,937 m / Mty, Mx 2
Collab. Landa Arquitectos
Masterplan/ Urban Design
p.36
Parque Centro 2013 /- m / Saltillo, Mx 2
p.46 Community/ Research
2
Collab. Landa Arquitectos
In Loving Memory 2016 /- m / Beirut, Leb 2
p.48
distrito Tec Fieldwork 2013 /- m / Mty, Mx
p.50
Ward 93 Fieldwork 2017 /- m / Yangon,
Medellín, Co
2
2
Myanmar
H ig h pa rk F lat 2016 Professional Experience - Freelancer
Professional Experience - Freelancer
Public Areas
2016
Private Areas Service Areas
Highpark flat Cristina Mena Arquitectura place year type sq. mts. cost RIBA work stages
This interior design project is located in a 130m2 space with dimensional constraints. The private areas are located strategically to take advantage of the views and ventilation and the service areas are concentrated on the back. The material palette used includes neutral tones and natural materials such as wood, carrara marble, and whitewood stone.
Cristina Mena Arquitectura
Monterrey, Mexico 2016 Interior Design 130 ÂŁ50,000 0-6 Built
As architect in charge of the project, the activities consisted in conceptual and architectural design, development and detailing, construction supervision, meetings with the client, and coordination with the constructor, technical subcontractors and material providers.
Highpark Flat
p. 7
2016
p. 8
Professional Experience - Freelancer
Highpark Flat
Cristina Mena Arquitectura
Professional Experience - Freelancer
12
6
9
9 10
10
5 11
4
3
1. Entrance 2. Living Room 3. Laundry 4. Pantry 5. Kitchen 6. Dinning Room 7. Bedroom 1 8. Bedroom 2 9. Walk-in closet 10. Bathroom 11. Guest Bathroom 12. Balcony
2
1
H ig h pa rk F lat 2016
7
8
Professional Experience - Freelancer
2015
jesĂşs el buen pastor community centre Cristina Mena Arquitectura place year type sq. mts. cost RIBA work stages
p. 10
Monterrey, Mexico 2015-2018 Religious / Community 600 ÂŁ241,000 0-5 - To be built
JBP Community Centre
Located in the grounds of a catholic church, the project consists of two new extensions: a space for the administrative, educational and leisure services of the parish and a new columbarium area. The concept of the community center consists of a carved rectangular volume that adapts to
Cristina Mena Arquitectura
a slopedown terrain and the existing parrish building to take advantage of the views. While the basement holds the administrative offices, the groundfloor consists of a multiple use room that can be subdivided with sliding panels according to use.
JB P C o m m un it y C e nt re
2015
Professional Experience - Freelancer
Professional Experience - Freelancer
2015
JB P C o m m un it y C e nt re
Transversal Section B-B’
General section: community centre and church
Longitudinal Section A-A’
Professional Experience - Freelancer
B
B
A’
A
A’
A
B’
Floor plan Level -1
2015
B’
Floorplan Level 0
Cristina Mena Arquitectura
JBP Community Centre
p. 13
Jb p c o lu mb a r iu m c h a p e l
2015 Professional Experience - Freelancer
Professional Experience - Freelancer
2015
jesĂşs el buen pastor coLUMBARIUM CHAPEL Cristina Mena Arquitectura place year type sq. mts. cost RIBA work stages
Monterrey, Mexico 2015 Religious / Funerary 100 0-1
Located in the grounds of a catholic church, the project consists of two new extensions: a space for the administrative, educational and leisure services of the parish and a new columbarium area. The columbarium creates an atmosphere of privacy, silence and respect that is connected to a garden. Activities included: conceptual, architectural design and development, and coordination with client. Cristina Mena Arquitectura
JBP Columbarium Chapel
p. 15
Professional Experience - Freelancer
2015
B
E2
A’
A
Floorplan columbarium chapel
E1
B’
Elevation 1: Main Access
Elevation 2
Cross Section B-B’
Cross Section A-A’
p. 16
JBP columbarium Chapel
Cristina Mena Arquitectura
JB P C o l um b a ri u m C h a p el
2015
Professional Experience - Freelancer
Sa l in a s C h a pe l 2016 Professional Experience - Freelancer
ProfessionalExperience - Freelancer
2016
salinas chapel Cristina Mena Arquitectura place year type sq. mts. cost RIBA work stages
Monterrey, Mexico 2016 Religious 60 0-3
A small familiy chapel, the conceptual project consists of a rotated vaulted cube inside a rectangular volume. This is done to protect the chapel from the afternoon east sun and take advantage of it through small voids which create play of light and shadow. The seating is distributed embracing the altar and ambo. Accomodating 21 people, the small chapel can be accesed in two ways, an ouverture on one
Cristina Mena Arquitectura
side for daily prayers and small services and the aperture of the northern facade to accomodate a larger number of people in the surrounding garden. Materials include apparent cast concrete for the structure and brick for the facades and vault. Activities included conceptual, architectural development and design; contact with client and structural engineer.
Salinas Chapel
p. 19
Professional Experience - Freelancer
2016
B
B
A
A’
Floor plan
A
A’
Ceiling plan
B’
Section A-A’
p. 20
Salinas Chapel
Section B-B’
Cristina Mena Arquitectura
B’
Sa l in a s c h a pe l 2016
Professional Experience - Freelancer
2015
Professional Experience - Studios
CASA HERRADURA 2 Landa Arquitectos / TAL Taller place year type sq. mts. cost RIBA work stages
Monterrey, Mexico 2015 Residential ÂŁ 500,000 2-5
Located in a downsloping terrain in a golf club, the house is composed of three volumes placed strategically to create terraces and take advantage of the views. The program includes a game room in the basement, a garden terrace, pool and common and service areas in the middle section and private rooms in the top wagon-like volume. As architect in charge of the project activities included: architectural design development; technical development and detailing; coordination with structural design, technical subcontractors, project managers and client; construction supervision; and the design and technical detailing of the main staircase.
p. 22
Casa herradura 2
Landa Arquitectos/ TAL Taller
casa herradura 2 2015
Professional Experience - Studios
Professional Experience - Studios
c a sa h er r a dur a 2
2015
Isometrical detail of staircase
Š Landa Arquitectos
Detailing of steps & structure
Professional Experience - Studios
Access floorplan
2015
Roof floorplan
Longitudinal Section
Landa Arquitectos/ TAL Taller
casa herradura 2
p. 25
© Landa Arquitectos
Pa b e lló n m 2015 Professional Experience - Studios
Professional Experience - Studios
2015
il mercato gentiloni Landa Arquitectos place year type sq. mts. cost RIBA work stages
Located at the heart of Parque Centro, Il Mercato is a gastronomic centre which innovatively explores the fusion of two cultures with a strong culinary history: Italian and Mexican. It includes a food market, cafĂŠ, butchery, bakery, wine shop, three restaurants, a bar and a cooking school. The 6,700 m2 complex is organized in mezzanine levels around a central open courtyard and is covered by a sloped surface. Landa Arquitectos
Saltillo, Mexico 2015 Commercial 6,700 0-5
As architect in charge of the project, activities included: conceptual, architectural, and technical development drawing and detailing; 3D Modeling and rendering; meetings and coordination with client, constuctors, structural engineers, project managers, and interior designers; and site supervision.
Il mercato gentiloni
p. 27
2015
Professional Experience - Studios
Cooking School Event Venue Pizzeria
Wine Shop
Restaurant Ice Cream
Bar
Charcuterie Bakery Market & Café
© Landa Arquitectos
p. 28
il mercato gentiloni
Isometrical View
Landa Arqquitectos
© Landa Arquitectos © Landa Arquitectos
Il mercato gentiloni 2015
Longitudinal Section
Professional Experience - Studios
LA POSTE DU LOUVRE 2012 Professional Professional Experience Experience- -Studios Studios
© DPA
La Poste du Louvre Dominique Perrault Architecture place year type sq. mts. cost RIBA work stages
Paris, France 2012 Regen./ Mixed Use 35,000 € 80 million 1-3
The project consists of the redevelopment of the post office main headquarters in the heart of Paris. The original building was designed in 1888 by the architect Julien Guadet in the context of Haussman’s great avenue transformations and represents the largest distribution centre of the
Courier of France. The 35,000 m2 project is currently under construction and aims to modernise the post activities. It will include offices, commerces, social housing and a hotel. As ‘stagiare’ or intern, responsibilities included creating physical models, graphics, demolition and security plans and assisting in the architectural design and technical development.
Professional Experience - Studios
2012
Model of proposed facade
Physical model of existing structure with proposed circulation nuclei
Dominique Perrault Architecture
La Poste du Louvre
p. 31
Pa b e llรณ n m 2015 Professional Experience - Studios
Professional Experience - Studios
2015
pabellรณn m Landa Arquitectos place year type sq. mts. cost RIBA work stages
Monterrey, Mexico 2015 Auditorium / Mixed Use 193,937 ยฃ 41 million 4-5
Located in the historical center of the city, the project consists of an egg-shaped auditorium surrounded by an embracing volume of commerces and convention center and a 48-level tower containing office spaces and a hotel. The auditorium has a capacity for 4,500 people. The total area of the building is of 193,937 m2 Activities included assisting in the architectural and technical development and detailing of the auditorium including: stairs, bathrooms, finishes, ceiling fixtures, and foodcourt.
Landa Arquitectos
Pabellรณn m
p. 33
2015
Professional Experience - Studios
Auditorium Structure Detail
Auditorium and Business Centre section
p. 34
Pabellรณn m
Auditorium section
Landa Arquitectos
Pa b e llรณ n m 2015
Professional Experience - Studios
Parque Ce nt ro Master p lan 2013 Professional Experience - Studios
Professional Experience - Studios
2013
Parque Centro masterplan Landa Arquitectos place year type sq. mts. cost RIBA work stages
Saltillo, Mexico 2013 Masterplan / Urban Design 1-4
Designed to be developed in two phases, the masterplan includes open space commercial and buisiness premises, big-boxes, hotels, residential and office areas as well as underground parking. The masterplan is designed in a way that every building is in contact with open and recreational green areas, thus giving the sensation of living and working inside a park. Special focus is placed on the human scale and attention to accesible pedestrian walkways and crossings. Activities included 3D modeling, rendering, technical drawing and detailing, assisting in the planning regulation of the development, coordinating with landscape architect, planning consultants and client and assisting the architectural development of individual projects such as a hotel, restaurants and a financial centre. Landa Arquitectos
Parque Centro Masterplan
p. 37
2013
Professional Experience - Studios A
Commerce Big Boxes Commerce & Services Mixed Use Hotel Offices Green Area B
B’
A’
Section A-A’
Masterplan Plot division and streets
Section B-B’
p. 38
Parque Centro Masterplan
Landa Arquitectos
Parque Ce nt ro Master p lan 2013
Professional Experience - Studios
2011
Academic Work
Meeting Point Cuauhtémoc ITESM- Intermediate Design Studio place year type
Monterrey, Mexico 2011 Regeneration/ Public Space
The aim of the project was to regenerate an abandoned 15 story steel structure in Monterrey. The building is located in a high-activity comercial zone, where public space and walkways are practically nonexistent. “Meeting Point” tower acts as an atrium for Cuauhtémoc street as a vertical public space, where any citizen can take part of cultural, educative and sport activities. The intervention consits in creating two voids through the structure, one horizontal, and one vertical to organize the program and generate open spaces. The four boxes resulting are suspended by the existing structure and connected by circulations which consolidate the main characteristic of the building: the architectural circuit.
p. 40
Meeting Point Cuauhtémoc
ITESM - Intermediate Design Studio
Pre-existing structure
M ee ti n g P o i nt C u a u h tĂŠ mo c 2011
Ac a d emic Work
2013
Academic Work
Distrito Tec
Site Analysis
Principles
1. Security
A) Integrate district by reconfiguring campus borders
ITESM- Advanced Design Studio place year type sq. mts.
Monterrey, Mexico 2013 Urban Design 616 hectares
Delicuency 2005-2013 VS Insecurity Perception
Community IN - University OUT
2. Fragmentation
B) Street as a means of Social Integration
3. Mobility
C) Change of Mobility Priorities
Existing Situation
Distrito Tec is an urban regeneration proposal for the 616-hectare district around Tecnológico de Monterrey University. The aim of this masterplan intervention is to integrate the main campus with its surrounding neighbourhoods by disrupting existing borders (bringing the campus outside its physical limits and the communities inside), and by transforming the district into a hub of innovation and exchange of knowledge. The project contemplates three ruling principles to regenerate the area: First, to integrate district’s diverse communities by reconfiguring campus borders offering once private areas to the city as new public metropolitan parks and squares; and allowing access to outsiders into private campus. Second, to transform streets from barriers to generators of social interaction and integration. And third, to reorder mobility priorities in which pedestrians and cyclists are at the top of the scale; this includes a new multimodal transport system. Guidelines included the redesign of a huge parking lot area into a public park connecting to neighbourhoods; and underground concealment of highspeed avenue to connect zones. Done in order to provide solutions to experts commisioned by university including Sasaki Architects and Parsons Consulting. p. 42
Distrito Tec
46% 37%
7%
2%
Guidelines 1 Market as conversion point
ITESM-Advanced Design Studio
2 Underground Highspeed Avenue to interweave communities
3 New Metropolitan Park
2
1
Urban Intervention University Transport Circuit Metropolitan Transport Routes Cyclepaths Multimodal nodes Parking lots
Di st ri to T e c 2013 Ac a d emic Work
3
2013
Academic Work
Strategy: Metropolitan Park
Site of Intervention
Circulation and Direction Axis
Public square in previous parking lot area
p. 44
Distrito Tec
Types of vegetation and connection to district’s parks
Aereal Overview
ITESM - Advanced Design Studio
Gallery Forest
Aromatic Garden
Orchard
2013 Ac a d emic Work
Grassland and desert
Oak tree forest
Di st ri to T e c
Pine tree forest
I n Lovi n g M e mo ry 2016 A c a d emic Work
In Loving Memory UCL- Urban Intervention Studio place year type
Beirut, Lebanon/ Medellín, Colombia 2016 Urban Design Intervention
Border making practices in Beirut and Medellín come from either economic or violence origins, and are manifested as ethnic segregation and socioeconomic inequality. These borders are continuously present as the wounds of armed conflict, reflected upon the cultural psyche of the people that have not yet healed. Can the remembrance of conflict can be used as a tool to heal the wounds of the city and bring a fragmented society together? After years of violent conflict, two things are common for the citizens of both cities: the loss of someone dear and the unavoidability of death. The aim is to reflect upon this, using cemeteries as an entry point, to shift the way in which the collective memory of war is conceived: from a negative, segregating, and sorrowful perspective, to one that is playful, irreverent, and joyous; in which anyone, regardless of socio-ethno-economic background, can identify. The purpose is also to resist the erasure of memory and achieve its continuity, making evident the shared history of war, but not in a contested way. This can be a way to channel dissent into dialogue by integrating different
groups of people in these places and to start building trust between them. In Beirut, the fragmentation of society is also reflected on the fragmentation of cemeteries the city according to religion: Jewish, Christian, Muslim. In Medellín, though less in number, but larger in size, the cemeteries reflect the socio economic inequality that exists in the city. The intervention consists of symbolically spreading the cemeteries around the cities. These will take the form of pocket public spaces located in spare bits of the city with specific leisure and public uses. They will be connected to create a network of small public areas that can be used by anyone regardless of their ethnic or economic background. Through this network, not only the segregated cemeteries will be linked, but also neighborhoods from different ethnic and socioeconomic backgrounds will be connected. Each pocket space will have different forms of tombstones and mausoleums that will take different functions: a bench, a playground, a platform to climb, a swing, a table, etc.
Cemeteries in Beirut
Cemeteries in Medellín
Academic Work
2016
Intervention in Nasrah, Beirut
Intervention in Innovation District, MedellĂn
UCL - Urban Intervention Studio
In Loving Memory
p. 47
2013
Community Engagement
Publication showing research and results
Distrito Tec Fieldwork ITESM - Advanced Design Studio place year type
Monterrey, Mexico 2013 Urban Design Fieldwork
The project consisted of small events to raise awareness that the priority in the city must start by pedestrians. These were: the painting of creative pedestrian crossings located right next to the exits of the university, the temporal transformation of parking space into a park which included a movie theatre, the reclaiming of street parking areas and repurpose into p. 48
Distrito Tec Fieldwork
pocket gardens and lunch areas, and the intervention of a mime to stop vehicular traffic and let pedestrians cross. These activities have continued to be replicated throughout the district and university compus. The results of this project were published in the book called “Revelations + Alternatives: An encounter with the Tec Zone�.
ITESM - Advanced Design Studio
Hopscotch pedestrian crossing
com m u nity Engagement
Pedestrian crossing painting
Park in the parking lot - movie theatre
2013
Mime stopping car traffic to let pedestrians cross
Di st ri to T e c F i el d w ork
Park in the parking lot - public spaces
2017
Community Engagement
ward 93 Fieldwork UCL City-wide Strategies for Slum Upgrading place year type
Yangon, Myanmar 2017 Urban Design Fieldwork/ Research
Site of intervention Co-production of ward map
The fieldwork consisted of two weeks working alongside the communtity of the informal settlement Ward 93 in Yangon. The activities held during those days were: mapping with the community, interviews, dream neighbourhood drawing, and area recognition. Relevant to mention is the co-creation of a map of the community which included main and secondary roads, water pumps, electric generators, education spaces such as schools and libraries, and the political jurisdiction of the community leaders. This map will be very useful in the future to develop self ennumeration activities. These participation-oriented design activities were useful to the development of strategies at ward and city level which were later presented to the community leaders and municipal authorities. p. 50
Ward 93
Site recognition and mapping
UCL - City-wide Strategies for Slum Upgrading
Workshop with community
Wa rd 9 3 2017 Ac a d emic Work
Co-produced map and governance structure of ward
arqcristinamena@gmail.com
Cristina mena arjona Architecture & Urban Design Projects 2012-2019