Silver Construction and Real Estate Projects Design · 2021
Glorieta Insurgentes Tower
by Yoram Cimet and Sholem Cimet
- A' Design Award 2021 Silver Winner in Construction and Real Estate Projects Design
- Awarded April 15, 2021
- CLIENT: CIMET Arquitectos
- Estimated Number of Design Views: 29,071
- Verification code 686790C0D1 · Verify this award
About Glorieta Insurgentes Tower
Glorieta Insurgentes is an office tower located on a roundabout that connects two major avenues in Mexico City. The tower rises 120 meters over 26 levels above ground and offers a total area of 60,000 square meters. The semicircular form follows the shape of the roundabout. Facilities include a triple height lobby, 18 office floors, a double height multipurpose hall for 800 people with retractable bleachers, and two roof gardens. Double glazed low emissivity curtain walls, solar panels and automated lighting and shading systems reduce energy and water use.
Glorieta Insurgentes Tower by Yoram Cimet represents a significant achievement in contemporary urban architecture, demonstrating how innovative formal strategies can revitalize established commercial districts while creating memorable civic presence. The design engages with longstanding traditions of expressive curtain wall architecture while introducing a distinctive curvilinear geometry that sets the tower apart from orthogonal commercial typologies, the undulating façade suggesting influences from organic modernism and parametric design methodologies that have increasingly shaped twenty-first century architectural practice. The architect appears to have carefully considered the tower's role as both functional commercial space and urban landmark, employing the reflective glass skin to create dynamic visual effects that change throughout the day as light conditions shift, thereby ensuring the building remains visually engaging from multiple vantage points and temporal moments. The integration of substantial public plaza at ground level demonstrates commitment to urban amenity, the hardscape design featuring circular planters, integrated seating, and generous pedestrian circulation that activates the building's base and creates welcoming civic space. The preservation and integration of mature trees along the plaza edge suggests sensitivity to environmental comfort and biophilic design principles, their organic forms providing essential contrast to the tower's geometric precision while offering shade and visual softening of the urban environment. Technical accomplishment is evident in the precise execution of the curved glazing system, which requires sophisticated engineering to achieve the smooth transitions between concave and convex surfaces while maintaining structural integrity and weather resistance. The tower's profile may evoke associations with sails catching wind or flowing water, forms that traditionally symbolize dynamism, progress, and connection to natural forces, inviting viewers to consider how contemporary architecture might embody aspirational values while serving practical commercial functions.
Press Kit
- Unique Properties
- The project is comprised of an office tower with 26 levels above ground, located in a roundabout that connects two important avenues of the city. The tower consists of 3 below grade parking, a triple height grand lobby, 7 above grade parking, 18 office floors with a PH, toping with a heliport as well as a double height multipurpose auditorium and 2 roof gardens. This tower was built under the standards of the LEED Platinum Certification, making it one of the most sustainable building in Mexico.
- Dimensions & Packaging
- The Tower has a total area of 60,000 sqm totaling 120 meters in height. The floor plan has a 91% area efficiency with 360 degree views and natural light articulated by a service core. Include an 800 people double height multi purpose hall with retractile bleachers in the 8th floor and roof gardens. The structural solution is seemingly simple with mega columns comprising 27,500 m3 of concrete, 6,700 tones of structural steel and 2,300 tones of rebar complemented with the semicircular shape.
- Tags
- building, high-rise, sustainable, technology, smart building, tower, LEED, Offices, efficiency, develop
- Production Technology
- The facades of the tower are a double glazed triple layer low E curtain wall getting a greater natural light gain and reducing the thermal gain having 20% of its area in vegetated rooftop gardens. The tower is an intelligent building with 57.9% energy and water savings, with a lighting and shading system with occupancy detection, use of daylight, dimming and programming throughout the building taking into account indoor, outdoor and orientation conditions and the use of roof solar panels.
- Design Challenge
- Glorieta Insurgentes Tower project was designed based on insertion as an urban acupuncture needle in one of the nerve points of the city, becoming a spearhead in the rescue of the area named Glorieta Insurgentes roundabout. Our development helped to transform and improve this area changed by the intervention and construction of our project. We achieved an international high standard of building bringing together architecture and technology with local talent up to international standards.
- Project Duration
- The project started in May 2014 and finished in Abril 2018 in Mexico City, Mexico.
- Operation Flow
- Population of 3,000 employees and 500 visitors daily
- Research
- The spatial experience through careful architectural design and sustainability are the key concerns throughout the creative process. We work hand in hand with local and foreign experts to achieve solutions for urban development, that include every part of the building lifecycle from construction to operation. The project had to be conceived to use passives and active systems, that reduce energy together with automated systems to reduce the towers footprint and have a positive impact on the city.
- Inspiration
- The design concept for the development spurred from the phrase NO LIMITS written in a graffiti in the abandoned building that used to stand for 25 years since the earthquake in the site, which precisely describes our feeling as architects when approaching the project with the vision to foresee an urban rescue, through a project that revitalized the whole space.
Like an acupuncture needle our intervention changed the place bringing energy and fortunately provoking the government to develop an urban plan to reform the roundabout and the plaza breathing new life to a neglected but very important part of the city. - Image Credits
- Main Image #1: Luis Gallardo, Glorieta Insurgentes Tower, 2018.
Optional Image #1: Luis Gallardo, Glorieta Insurgentes Tower, 2018.
Optional Image #2: Luis Gallardo, Glorieta Insurgentes Tower, 2018.
Optional Image #3: Luis Gallardo, Glorieta Insurgentes Tower, 2018.
Optional Image #4: Luis Gallardo, Glorieta Insurgentes Tower, 2018.
Optional Image #5: Luis Gallardo, Glorieta Insurgentes Tower, 2018. - Patents
- Copyrights belong to CIMET Arquitectos, 2018
Colors of Glorieta Insurgentes Tower
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G0E3 ShopGrand Interview about Glorieta Insurgentes Tower
It helps save energy in two ways: first, by thermally insulating the building’s interior, allowing for the strategic use of air conditioning on each floor and space; second, by making lighting control more efficient, using artificial light only when absolutely necessary.
A project should never impose itself on its context; it should aim to harmonize and resonate with it. It is through these gestures of openness that users have fully embraced this tower.
This decision brings dynamism to the project, creating communal spaces that draw people into the heart of the tower, rather than limiting social interaction to the ground floor and leaving the other 18 levels isolated from their surroundings.
Our relationship goes beyond a superficial professional aspect. It is thanks to this father-son bond and shared principles and values that the success of Torre Cibeles is achieved, enriching mutual dialogue for decision-making and providing a more solid approach.
The use of steel and hydraulic pistons to create a resilient, mixed structure not only optimizes the spaces and helps open 360-degree views of the city, but also reinforces the original skeleton, which was damaged by previous earthquakes, ensuring it will better withstand future impacts.
Torre Cibeles aims to be a landmark without overpowering its context. It acts as a mirror reflecting its surroundings, transforming from a monolith that once disrupted the neighborhood into an urban acupuncture needle that, through its function, enhances and adds value to its environment, while in its form, it seeks the most respectful integration possible.
It is essential that the human footprint be as minimal as possible. In the case of Torre Cibeles, it was necessary to compensate for the footprint of the pre-existing tower by creating green terraces that allow rainwater to permeate the soil. This, in addition to benefiting the area, significantly improves air quality and the visual image of the surrounding context, thereby enhancing the quality of life for its users.
These strategies have contributed to the timely and responsible management of electrical energy, while also creating spaces that are perfectly suited to the user's work and physical needs.
The achievement of LEED Platinum Certification for Glorieta Insurgentes Tower represents a significant milestone in Mexican sustainable architecture. This project introduced several innovations and approaches that can serve as a model for future high-rise developments in Mexico City.One key innovation is the integration of energy-efficient systems, such as advanced HVAC and lighting systems, that significantly reduce the building's energy consumption. The use of sustainable materials and the incorporation of green roofs contribute to improving the urban ecosystem, reducing the building's carbon footprint while promoting biodiversity.The project also implemented water conservation strategies, including rainwater harvesting and water-efficient fixtures, which help minimize resource consumption in a city facing water scarcity. Furthermore, the tower's design maximizes natural light penetration, reducing the need for artificial lighting and enhancing occupant well-being.Incorporating a comprehensive waste management plan and utilizing renewable energy sources are additional strategies that align with global sustainability goals. By blending these innovative approaches, Glorieta Insurgentes Tower sets a benchmark for sustainable high-rise construction in Mexico City, showcasing how urban developments can effectively address environmental challenges while enhancing quality of life for their occupants.
Despite the tower's scale in the area, its placement has not led to increased traffic or deterioration of the area in terms of real estate value. On the contrary, the urban image of the neighborhood has improved, with Torre Cibeles acting as a mirror that magnifies the surrounding architecture, while also becoming the new landmark of the area.