NARRATIVE
West Point Convenience Center is a retail venue and the most visible component of a mixed use development located on the westside of Guadalajara. The master plan of the complex is comprised of eight high-rise vertical housing buildings in a gated community with inner pedestrian walkways, a park and controlled access points. The retail venue, although it is an integral part of the master plan, is at the forefront of the complex outside the gated community and with large green areas on both sides of the building. The preeminent location of the building within the master plan and its relationship with the public avenue demands an architectural approach to give the building an iconic presence.
It is important to highlight that the Convenience Center will be also a focal point from the views of the eight apartment buildings on the background, and therefore the design of the roof was as important as the design of the main facades at street level. The result is a triangular faceted architectural object with two wide openings at each end where the second level restaurants are located and a screen that randomly becomes more transparent towards the center of the building. The complexity of the geometry of this element contrast with the seemingly simple geometry of the first floor, both bodies are articulated through the rhythm of the columns. The construction material proposed for the upper body of the building is Cor-Ten steel, a material that naturally covers itself of protective rust, making it a maintenance free material. Three steel chimneys contrast with the rusty look of the building and are the exhaust ducts of the restaurants inside the Convenience Center.
SITE CONSTRAINTS
The area of the site is 10.62 acres, it is located in the westside of Guadalajara amidst a high income zone of the city. The site has a steep slope, with a change of levels of 65 ft from street level to the highest point 525 ft away at the back. A stripe of 131 ft have been reserved in the front of the site for the commercial program and green areas. Of this area two thirds are open green areas and one third is for the Convenience Center. There were no major zoning constraints and the topography of the site was more a benefit than a constraint because it allowed to have a two story building at the front that is perceived as a one story building from the park inside the gated community.
Material Used :
1. Grupo Básica: Façade Cladding
2. ALBA: Structure
