PLAZA ARIZONA
Through Plaza Arizona for DistritoTec, an urban regeneration initiative south of Monterrey, Jorge Diego Etienne expands his practice to generate value in society through a fun and inclusive public space.
Intention
DistritoTec is an urban regeneration initiative driven by the Tecnológico de Monterrey together with citizens, organizations and authorities who have the interest and commitment to collaborate for the benefit of the community.
The Improvement of the Urban Environment is one of the axes of this initiative, and the transformation of the Avenue Junco de la Vega contemplates turning it into a complete street, cultural corridor and an integrator of the i²e Ecosystem to develop research , innovation and entrepreneurship.
DistritoTec commissioned Jorge Diego Etienne Estudio & Consultoría de Diseño to create the Plaza Arizona, a new public space on the converted Junco de la Vega Avenue that explores new academic interactions (classes, lectures and outdoor exhibitions) in an open and casual environment.
The Plaza Arizona is located in an iconic space of the Campus: right in front of the Arizona Building, built in 1954 and which today is the headquarters of the Tec de Monterrey School of Architecture.
Process & Design
The design development started with the understanding of its location and context, as well as the vegetation in the site and its topology. The space is regarded as an important meeting point for the Tec’s design and architecture community, but also as an opportunity to be a bridge between the student community and the neighborhood; as well as space that integrates the existing vegetation into the street.
The concept of the Plaza Arizona is to serve as a meeting space, connection, relaxation and host multiple academic functions for the Tec de Monterrey community and its surroundings. The aesthetic proposal generates a dialogue with the red brick of the Arizona building, taking up the colors and textures of these exterior materials and adding the wood to give a lively touch of warmth to the entire space.
In order to alter the site as little as possible —and achieve a simple installation—, a superficial foundation was made using a metallic structure, whose function is to support the the installation; both the wooden floor and the interior structure, and allow the filtration of rainwater letting the floor to contribute to the rain absorption.
With the Plaza Arizona, Jorge Diego Etienne Estudio & Consultoría de Diseño expands its practice to generate value in society. Hand in hand with the DistritoTec initiative, this project reinforces the concept of public space as a meeting place for everyone, bringing the student and neighborhood community closer together through urban interventions according to their immediate context.
Client: Distrito Tec
Video: Juan Van Dusen
Photography: The Raws
Año: 2021
