The project of the new Teopanzolco cultural center – Mexico – designed by Isaac Broid and PRODUCTORA is located at the heart of the eponymous archeological site. The site situation allows to highlight the project commitments: on one hand to enhance the relationship between the new building and the archeological site, and on the other to create a significant public space. The architects’ idea has been hailed by two prizes in 2017, The American Architecture Prize 2017 of Architectural Design and CICA Award for Latin American Architecture at the Buenos Aires International Architecture Biennial 2017. 

The project is organized around two elements, a triangular building hosting the public programmes (lobbies, services, box office, cloakroom, auditorium etc.) and a platform surrounding it, hosting technical areas (dressing rooms, storage, workshops, etc.), including a multipurpose theatre. The horizontal platform surrounding the  triangular building also serves as a viewing point on the archeological site and Mexico city.

The base contains a series of patios, one of which has been dug into the ground in order to create a small open-air theatre space. This platform generates a variety of exterior spaces and provides a secondary access to the auditorium. The main triangular-shaped roof comprises a large stepped ramp which reduces the physical presence and visual impact of the new building. It also converts the roof into an additional open-air auditorium, which has the archeological site as a backdrop.

Text from the architects of PRODUCTORA.

Architects: Isaac Broid + PRODUCTORA (Carlos Bedoya, Víctor Jaime, Wonne Ickx, Abel Perles)
Collaborators: Gerardo Galicia, Pamela Martinez, Josue Palma, Alonso Sanchez, Rosalía Yuste, Antonio Espinoza, Diego Velazquez, Gerardo Aguilar, Jesús Minor, Juan Pablo Perez, Oswaldo Delgadillo, Mariana Toro, Valeria Alvarado y Eitan Vazquez
Structural Engineering: Colinas del Buen (Efren Franco y Selene Cortes)
Technical Engineering: Taller M2 (Jose Madrid)
Theatre Counsel: Alejandro Luna e Itzel Alba
Acoustic  Counsel: Cristian Ezcurdia y ARUP (Jaume Soler)
Lighting design:  Luz y Forma (Luis Lozoya)
Bioclimatic Counsel: Bioarquitectura (Gerardo Velazquez Flores)
Client: Secretary of Culture of the Morelos State
Type: Cultural Infrastructure
Location: Cuernavaca, Morelos State, Mexico
Surface: 7,000 m2
Date: 2017
Photography: Jaime Navarro