Torre Bicentenario
Encyclopedia
The Torre Bicentenario was a skyscraper
project planned for construction in Mexico City
. If built, at 300 meters (984 ft) tall, it would surpass the Torre Mayor
as the holder of the title of Tallest Building in Mexico
and same height as the highest building in Latin America
. However, such title is uncertain, as Costanera Center
's main tower in Santiago, Chile
, is reaching the same height and is already in advanced construction. And though both heights are handled as "a minimum of 300 meters for each tower", Torre Bicentenario would have had a roof height of 300 m., while Costanera Center's main tower's last floor tops at 265 m. Both towers, however, will probably be surpassed when "Los Faros de Panamá", in Panama City
, Panama
, reaches 346 m. in late 2011, though Panama's project is currently on hold. Torre Bicentenario was officially canceled, as announced by the local government and the involved investors on September 28, 2007. However, some facts indicate that the tower might be built, but not to be completed on the scheduled date.
, hence the building's name. The building was designed by renowned Pritzker Prize
winner Rem Koolhaas
, who took inspiration from the Pyramid of Kukulkan at Chichen Itza
. Of its 70 floors, about 85% were being planned for offices, and the rest to commercial public services such as restaurants, auditoriums and a convention center.
The tower would have featured an interior atrium, starting on the 15th floor and ending way up to the 40th floor. This in order to allow air and light to flow freely inside the tower and providing natural light to some inside offices. There was also a skygarden planned where the two pyramids meet.
Arup
was responsible for the tower's engineering. The 300-meter tall tower would have stood on a rocky site, with a low-conductivity for seismic waves.
which had declared (since August 13th, 2007) that the building that stands on Torre Bicentenario's projected site, a petrol station known as Super Servicio Lomas which was built by architect Vladimir Kaspe in the 1940s on a revolutionary and functional model was catalogued as a building with artistic value. Another point of contention against the project came from the local administrator (Jefa Delegacional) (Borough) Miguel Hidalgo
, Gabriela Cuevas
because of the planned construction of an underground parking lot under part of a public park Chapultepec Park
. The project was eventually cancelled.
Skyscraper
A skyscraper is a tall, continuously habitable building of many stories, often designed for office and commercial use. There is no official definition or height above which a building may be classified as a skyscraper...
project planned for construction in Mexico City
Mexico City
Mexico City is the Federal District , capital of Mexico and seat of the federal powers of the Mexican Union. It is a federal entity within Mexico which is not part of any one of the 31 Mexican states but belongs to the federation as a whole...
. If built, at 300 meters (984 ft) tall, it would surpass the Torre Mayor
Torre Mayor
The Torre Mayor is a skyscraper in Mexico City, United Mexican States. With a height of 225 metres to the top floor and 55 storeys, it's the second tallest building in Latin America, surpassed by Ocean Two in Panama City with 236 metres...
as the holder of the title of Tallest Building in Mexico
Mexico
The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...
and same height as the highest building in Latin America
Latin America
Latin America is a region of the Americas where Romance languages – particularly Spanish and Portuguese, and variably French – are primarily spoken. Latin America has an area of approximately 21,069,500 km² , almost 3.9% of the Earth's surface or 14.1% of its land surface area...
. However, such title is uncertain, as Costanera Center
Costanera Center
Costanera Center is an ongoing development and construction of four skyscrapers being built in the Sanhattan financial district of Santiago, Chile by Cencosud...
's main tower in Santiago, Chile
Chile
Chile ,officially the Republic of Chile , is a country in South America occupying a long, narrow coastal strip between the Andes mountains to the east and the Pacific Ocean to the west. It borders Peru to the north, Bolivia to the northeast, Argentina to the east, and the Drake Passage in the far...
, is reaching the same height and is already in advanced construction. And though both heights are handled as "a minimum of 300 meters for each tower", Torre Bicentenario would have had a roof height of 300 m., while Costanera Center's main tower's last floor tops at 265 m. Both towers, however, will probably be surpassed when "Los Faros de Panamá", in Panama City
Panama City
Panama is the capital and largest city of the Republic of Panama. It has a population of 880,691, with a total metro population of 1,272,672, and it is located at the Pacific entrance of the Panama Canal, in the province of the same name. The city is the political and administrative center of the...
, Panama
Panama
Panama , officially the Republic of Panama , is the southernmost country of Central America. Situated on the isthmus connecting North and South America, it is bordered by Costa Rica to the northwest, Colombia to the southeast, the Caribbean Sea to the north and the Pacific Ocean to the south. The...
, reaches 346 m. in late 2011, though Panama's project is currently on hold. Torre Bicentenario was officially canceled, as announced by the local government and the involved investors on September 28, 2007. However, some facts indicate that the tower might be built, but not to be completed on the scheduled date.
Name and design
The inauguration date was planned to be September 16, 2010, which is the day of the 200th anniversary of the Mexican War of IndependenceCelebration of Mexican political anniversaries in 2010
In 2010, Mexico celebrated both the 200th anniversary of its Independence and 100th anniversary of its Revolution. The entire year was proclaimed by President Felipe Calderón as "Año de la Patria", or "Year of the Nation." 16 September 1810 is the day of the "Grito de Dolores" or Miguel Hidalgo's...
, hence the building's name. The building was designed by renowned Pritzker Prize
Pritzker Prize
The Pritzker Architecture Prize is awarded annually by the Hyatt Foundation to honour "a living architect whose built work demonstrates a combination of those qualities of talent, vision and commitment, which has produced consistent and significant contributions to humanity and the built...
winner Rem Koolhaas
Rem Koolhaas
Remment Lucas Koolhaas is a Dutch architect, architectural theorist, urbanist and "Professor in Practice of Architecture and Urban Design" at the Graduate School of Design at Harvard University, USA. Koolhaas studied at the Netherlands Film and Television Academy in Amsterdam, at the Architectural...
, who took inspiration from the Pyramid of Kukulkan at Chichen Itza
Chichen Itza
Chichen Itza is a large pre-Columbian archaeological site built by the Maya civilization located in the northern center of the Yucatán Peninsula, in the Municipality of Tinúm, Yucatán state, present-day Mexico....
. Of its 70 floors, about 85% were being planned for offices, and the rest to commercial public services such as restaurants, auditoriums and a convention center.
The tower would have featured an interior atrium, starting on the 15th floor and ending way up to the 40th floor. This in order to allow air and light to flow freely inside the tower and providing natural light to some inside offices. There was also a skygarden planned where the two pyramids meet.
Arup
Arup
Arup is a global professional services firm headquartered in London, United Kingdom which provides engineering, design, planning, project management and consulting services for all aspects of the built environment. The firm is present in Africa, the Americas, Australasia, East Asia, Europe and the...
was responsible for the tower's engineering. The 300-meter tall tower would have stood on a rocky site, with a low-conductivity for seismic waves.
Controversy
The Torre Bicentenario Project was controversial from the beginning because of regulations in the area that ban construction over three stages tall, as well as irregular funding and previous acts of corruption from construction companies to members of the party that governed the City at that time. Nevertheless, Mexico City's government gave the project irregular backing and made exceptions to building rules and environmental regulations for the building, whilst trying to sell it as an achievement for the city. Population in the adjoining areas showed complete opposition to the project from the start, but the government continued forward, trying to market it as an accomplishment because it would become the tallest building in Latin America. Aside from the special treatment awarded to the builders, the ban on tall structures in the area and the problems perceived by the area's resident, the Torre Bicentenario Project was also opposed by the federal agency for Culture and the Arts, INBAInba
INBA or Inba may refer to: Chile*Internado Nacional Barros Arana, a prestigious secondary school Germany*InBA - Institut des Bewertungsausschusses, a german institution that supports the board which negotiates the ratings for medical treatments in national health services. India*Inba , a 2008...
which had declared (since August 13th, 2007) that the building that stands on Torre Bicentenario's projected site, a petrol station known as Super Servicio Lomas which was built by architect Vladimir Kaspe in the 1940s on a revolutionary and functional model was catalogued as a building with artistic value. Another point of contention against the project came from the local administrator (Jefa Delegacional) (Borough) Miguel Hidalgo
Miguel Hidalgo, D.F.
Miguel Hidalgo is one of the 16 delegaciones into which Mexico's Federal District is divided. The borough includes some of the most affluent parts of Mexico City, such as Lomas de Chapultepec and Polanco. Its population at the 2010 census was 372,889 inhabitants, and it lies at an elevation of...
, Gabriela Cuevas
Gabriela Cuevas Barron
Gabriela Cuevas Barron is a Mexican politician affiliated to the National Action Party who has served as head of Miguel Hidalgo and as a federal deputy in the lower house of the Mexican Congress.- Personal life and education :Cuevas Barron holds a bachelor's degree in political science from the...
because of the planned construction of an underground parking lot under part of a public park Chapultepec Park
Chapultepec
Chapultepec Park, more commonly called the "Bosque de Chapultepec" in Mexico City, is the largest city park in Latin America, measuring in total just over 686 hectares. Centered on a rock formation called Chapultepec Hill, one of the park's main functions is to be an ecological space in the vast...
. The project was eventually cancelled.