SIGLUM OFFICE TOWER CITY The construction of Siglum office building emerges from the careful observation and resourceful consideration of a privileged urban site, located in the south of México City. The site offers three street frontages and was conducent to the creation of an urban landmark which would be distinguished in the directional perspective of Insurgentes Avenue, one the city’s most important arteries. Other intentions were to create a building with a lobby and entrance with urban scale and urban character, celebrating the street corner with a high, transparent, curved space, in order to allow “the city to penetrate into the building”. Other considerations of urbanism were the intention to reinforce pedestrian activity through the location of commercial space directly to the street, in order to reinforce urban vitality. Lastly, another element in the set of urban intentions was the location of a long, low block clearly separating itself from the tower, providing a friendly transition towards the residential area. No car entry or exits or service areas were located in the back street in order to maintain the residential integrity of our neighbours. FORM Siglum office building was designed with an elliptical floor plan, with cantilevered slabs forged as concentric rings. The elliptical tower is clearly separated and in sharp contrast with the lower, rectangular block. It is the eternal tension between the curve, which constitutes continuity and movement versus the straight line, which represents limit, directionality and power. The elliptic floor plan allows continuity of views to the urban landscape, and presents at the street corners a narrow and slender façade, like the keel of a ship that sails confidently towards the south. LIGHT, ENERGY AND WATER. The cantilevered ring slabs allow the possibility to have glass windows from floor to ceiling without mullions, introducing natural light and transparency without the feeling of insecurity or vertigo. The rings or cantilevered slabs are also elements to protect from the sun, reducing thermal inertia and saving energy, as well as creating contrasts of light and shadow in the facades. The building contains its own water treatment plant located in the basement, recycling water to be reused in toilets. Electric light sensors are located throughout the building, including the underground parking basements. MATERIALITY The materials of the building, in addition to lightly tinted glass, are exposed concrete, used in columns and slabs; aluminium planks from the building base, body and top. Slate is used in the lower block, to emphasise its solid character. The steel beams are present in the main façade at Insurgentes Avenue, showing its structural character. Also in this western façade, deeper recessed windows provide additional solar protection and different intensities of contrast and shadows.
In summary, we wanted to create a building of clear and rotund form, elegant and bold. An urban landmark with strong character that would speak about modernism, the place and the climate through its forms and materials contributing to the city an architectural object of intensity and vitality.
Client: SARE, S.A. de C.V. Design and Construction supervision: Mario Schjetnan Garduño, Director GDU; José Luis Pérez Maldonado, Project Coordinator. Associates Architects: Arq. Miguel Murguía Díaz and Dr. Alvaro Sánchez Gonzáles. Sculpture: Brad Howe. Construction: Ing. Juan Angel Cortes Macías. Soils Engineering: Ing. Mario Jasso Ramos / Suelos y Cimentaciones, S.A. Structural Design: Ing. Enrique Martínez Romero / Consultores Asociados, S.A.
