Mexico City Museum's Wondrous Aluminum Exterior
Museo Soumaya
FREE Fernando Romero EnterprisE
Mexico City
2011
In 2011, FREE Fernando Romero Enterprise designed the privately owned art museum, Museo Soumaya, located in Mexico City. The museum currently houses 6,200 European artworks from the 15th to the 20th century, as well as several historical and religious artifacts from Mexico.
The designers were dedicated to using supplies manufactured in Mexico, including the plaster walls on the interior, the steel foundation, and the exterior aluminum.
The exterior design employed over 14,000 hexagonal aluminum pieces creating an opaque and virtually enclosed façade. Often compared to Benoy’s Bullring design in Birmingham, UK, the museum’s repetitive design also resembles that of Disney’s Epicot Center.
The fluidity of the interior was achieved using a ramp-like design to improve the movement between the six floors. A surge of natural light is given off from the extensive cantilevering ceiling on the sixth floor, allowing the art to be the primary feature of the interior.
Museo Soumaya’s fantastical exterior does not negate from the showcased art housed inside, instead it serves as a magnetic, intriguing passerby to the wonders within.
all images © Adam Wiseman and Bruce Damonte
courtesy of Architect Magazine and World Architecture News
information © Architect Magazine and World Architecture News
DISCLAIMER: This project does not feature ALPOLIC Materials. The Architecture, Design and Sustainability sections of our blog are for global projects that we find remarkable.
