in celebration of Mexicos bicentenary, Gregorio Vasquez and

Manuel Wedeles of Americas

Vasquez and Wedeles Architects have come up with an award-winning design
selected in the 10th International Arquine Competition to
commemorate the countrys 200 years of independence in 2010.

Their winning design is for two 83-storey

towers, Tezozomoc and Xochimilco, each to be built in strategic areas of Mexico
City. Tezozomoc,
also known as the SerpienteEmplumadaTower,
will be built in the Azcapotzalco
Technology Park,
and will feature the dramatic curves of two ellipses waving and intertwining
with each other.

Its sister, the Piramidedel SolTower, will be built in the Xochimilco Ecology
Park, featuring a
contrasting design where strong lines and angular geometry twist and turn
skyward.

Embodying the history of the country itself

- Tezozomoc representing the ancient Mayan civilization and Xochimilco
referring to the Aztecs, both mixed-use towers were designed with an emphasis
on technology with an environmental conscience.

Their innovative architecture

allows the vertical voids in the buildings to serve as air ducts, where air can
be filtered before being returned to the atmosphere.
Description
The Serpiente Emplumada Tower (Tezozomoc) is shaped by two ellipses, which
intercept each other at their core. These ellipses extrude and twist separately, one
slightly and the other dramatically, generating moments where the two shapes
intersect and complement one another. The outer shell of Tezozomoc creates an
interior vertical void where air can circulate and be cleaned up by various layers of
air filters. From - World Architecture News (show less)
Specifications
shaping Twisted Extruder
Compound volume

features

location Mexico City , Mexico

typology Mixed use

height 380m skyscraper

status un built

details

team Gregorio Vasquez and Manuel Wedeles, Architect(s)

Bicentenary Towers, Mexico City, Mexico

Bicentenary Towers celebrate 200 years of Mexican independence

The 10th International Arquine competition to design two towers to celebrate
Mexicos bicentenary, has been won by Gregorio Vasquez and Manuel
Wedeles with their designs for Tezozomoc and Xochimilco. The two mixed-use
towers - intended to be completed for the bicentenary celebrations
in 2010 will be set in two strategic areas of Mexico City; the Azcapotzalco
Technology Park and the Xochimilco Ecology Park. Each tower will be
83 stories, with around 100,000 metres of floor space, and will include offices,
residential apartments, a hotel, and retail areas, separated from one
another by a sky garden and connected with vertical voids.

The Serpiente Emplumada Tower (Tezozomoc) is shaped by two ellipses, which

intercept each other at their core. These ellipses extrude and twist
separately, one slightly and the other dramatically, generating moments where
the two shapes intersect and complement one another. The outer
shell of Tezozomoc creates an interior vertical void where air can circulate and be
cleaned up by various layers of air filters. The Piramide del Sol
Tower (Xochimilco) extends geometrically from a square at its base, and is
shaped by four extruding squares twisted on their vertical axis, to a
rectangular tower at the top, the axis of which marks the direction of the sun. As
with Tezozomoc, these twisting volumes generate vertical voids
that are used as air ducts where air can be filtered and cleaned, and recycled
back into the atmosphere.

Vasquez and Wedeles Architects not only designed the towers to reflect the
technological and ecological aims of the competition with the buildings
acting as air filters for their respective parks - but also to represent the history
of Mexico itself, with Tezozomoc referencing the ancient Mayan
civilisation and Xochimilco representing the Aztecs.