In August 2021, the call for entries was launched for the ideas competition for the "Scenic Garden and Pavilion" project. The primary goal was the reorganization and comprehensive recovery of the area known as the "ecological parking lot" to integrate it with the Centro Cultural del Bosque (CCB). The project called for the design of a Scenic Pavilion conceived as "a permanent space with unobtrusive, harmonious architecture that blends into the Forest's environment, establishing a point of connection with both the performing and visual arts ecosystems, looking toward the Zoo and the Museum of Modern Art."
The jury consisted of Mónica Raya Mejía (Jury President. Architect, Master in Scenic Design), Lili Hahua Miguel (Director of the Pro Bosque de Chapultepec Trust), Lucina Jiménez (Director of the National Institute of Fine Arts and Literature), Víctor Márquez Cravioto (Urban Planner, PhD in Sociology. Member of the Chapultepec Forest Governing Council), Emilio Martínez Zurita (Set and Lighting Designer. Cultural Agent), Marina Núñez Bespalova (Undersecretary of Cultural Development of the Secretariat of Culture of the Government of Mexico City), Gabriel Orozco (Coordinator of the Chapultepec Forest Nature and Culture Project), Marina Robles García (Secretary of the Environment of the Government of Mexico City), Rodrigo Sigal Sefchovich (Director of the Mexican Center for Music and Sonic Arts), and María de Los Ángeles Vizcarra (Center for Research in Architecture, Urbanism, and Landscape of the Faculty of Architecture, UNAM).
First Place
Design: Isaac Michan Daniel (MICHAN ARCHITECTURE), Carla Ferrando Costansa, and Pablo Garrido Arnaiz (PARABASE) / Landscape Architecture: Tonatiuh Martínez and Alejandra Aguirre (Taller de Paisaje Entorno) / Structural Engineering: Armando Merida (Structecnia), Mario Monotti (Monotti Ingegneri Consulenti SA) / Theater Consulting: Itzel Alba (diseñOteatral), Jules Lauve, and Scott Crossfield (Theater Projects) / Acoustic Consulting: Cristian Ezcurdia and Jaume Soler (SoundArts) / Sustainability: Victor Viscor (Societat Orgànica) / Lighting Design: Víctor Palacio (Ideas en Luz) / Visualizations: Jorge Yáñez Barranco (Contarq)
"The project for the New Scenic Garden is generated from the site's own resources, respecting pre-existing trees and producing no waste. The strategy is clear: first, excavating in tree-free areas and then adding soil elsewhere, transforming the ground into a landscape of low hills and shallow lakes. This topographical complexity creates a series of intimate-scale public spaces that host multiple outdoor activities. Additionally, this topography provides the necessary acoustic and visual protection in areas where it is required. In this way, the Scenic Garden aims to attract the community and serve as a cultural laboratory."
Second Place
Team: Carlos Zedillo Velazco, Enrique Norten Rosenfeld, Bernardo Quinzaños Oria, Carlos Garcia Noriega Bueno, Alejandro Martinez del Campo, Begoña Manzano, Teobaldo Eguiluz, and Tanya Eguiluz.
"There is an ongoing project to construct an elevated walkway connecting the forest's two main sections. This walkway lands on the site where the scenic garden and pavilion will be built, giving this space a unique condition, as it will receive the flow of pedestrians, cyclists, and passersby moving between sections. While this will be the most comfortable, efficient, and direct way to make this journey, certain areas require integration on a smaller scale. The scenic garden and pavilion project will also be one of interconnection—a network articulating the various moments and experiences that unfold here."
Third Place
The third place was declared vacant.
This article was written by Mónica Arellano. The translation is powered by AI.
