jardín etnobotánico bosque de chapultepec

Pavilion view from across the lake showing the canopy, the plant nursery, and the proposed lake ecosystems along the new pier. The multipurpose building is hidden from the view by the natural slope.

Pavilion view from main pedestrian approach, showing plaza, and slope towards lake.

Panoramic birds-eye view of proposal, with key axis and context.

Master plan with garden, pavilion, and access.

Section through train tracks, pavilion, canopy, soil maintenance yard and multipurpose plaza.

Second floor plan, level with lake.

Ground plan, at street and entry level.

Agro-forestry systems selected from the Neo Volcanic axis of Mexico to include in the garden proposal.

Competition - Mexico City 2020

with: Mariel Collard, Santiago Mota and Julián Arroyo-Cetto

This project outlines our full proposal for the 2nd section’s thematic - ethnobotanical garden and pavilion competition, set forth by the Centro de Cultura Ambiental of Mexico City. Our team envisions to recover the enormous cultural and natural diversity of central México, which is a product of the geological processes of this dynamic volcanic zone. It is impossible to build a space of high biodiversity with inadequate soil. The current garden is continuously fighting to survive and is therefore too aggressive for the flora, fauna and microbiota. The proposal is divided in zones of distinctive vegetation representing the original ecosystems of the Mexican Neo-Volcanic Axis, both in the garden at large, and in smaller habitats sheltered under the canopy. Seen in our plans and sections, we have also centered the proposal around offering visitors a participatory and learning experience of the soil creation yard and plant nursery that support the processes of the ethnobotanical garden.

At the urban level, we considered existing and future pedestrian flows that connect the city with our proposed pavilion. This multi-purpose building adapts to the existing slope of the site and consolidates a flexible space for a variety of programs. It purposefully looks out into the soil yard. The distinctive ultra-light canopy protects the pavilion from the elements and allows events to extend outside of the enclosed space, triplicating the inhabitable area. The canopy incorporates photovoltaics and water catchment. Its vertical supports double as controlled habitats to showcase the more delicate ecosystems of the proposed assembly.