JUAREZ COMPLEX - EXTERNAL RELATIONS SECRETARIAT. CIUDAD DE MEXICO

The Juarez Complex is in the Historic Centre of Mexico City, facing the Alameda Central. Covering a total surface area of 27,500m2 the complex is adjacent to the Avenida Juarez to the north, to the south to the Calle Independencia, the east to the Calle Dolores and to the west with the Calle Luis Moya. The aim of the Juarez Complex is to regenerate an important area of the Historic Centre of the City which suffered serious damage in the 1985 earthquakes. The Complex is made up of open spaces, walkways and squares. The new headquarters of the Foreign Affairs Secretariat, "Secretaria de Relaciones Exteriores - Torre Tlatelolco" and the High court Building "Tribunal Superior de Justicia del D.F." as well as some mixed usage buildings and car parks are found there. Due to its position, the complex finds itself in a transitional area between the Paseo de la Reforma with its larger scaled buildings and the Historic Centre characterised by lower-level buildings and more pedestrian-friendly spaces. The architectural aim is to reflect this context in terms of position and age, which is why a 12.65 m Perla Huxquilucan stone plinth base was designed. This height is exactly that of the Corpus Christi Temple, the design, materials and scale of which are clearly linked to those of the Historic Centre. Coordinating with the Fideicomiso (trusts responsible for the order of certain types of buildings) del Centro Historico and the INAH, The Corpus Christi Temple was redesigned to give it a new use working as an attraction to the centre. The flat roofs the base describes are treated as terraces and gardens to be used as expansion areas for the taller buildings. The Plaza Juarez is the main one of these outside areas surrounding the Corpus Christi Temple. The Square is the focal point for the rest of the complex radiating to and from the main pedestrian access points to each. With the collaboration of the artist and sculptor Vicente Rojo a great fountain was built in the centre of the square complementing the vegetation to be found in the Parque Alameda with the element of water. It forms a 35 x 30 metre mirror with over a thousand red concrete pyramids which, with the movement of the water via a series of injectors in each pyramid, transforms it into a fountain of great movement. As well as Vicente Rojo's fountain, along the outside areas is the "SPEED Mural" el Mural VELOCIDAD - by David Alfaro Siqueiros as well as other works of are, placed there to try and rekindle the tradition of public/street art in our city. EXTERNAL AFFAIRS SECRETARIAT "TORRE TLATELOLCO" The building is part of the Juarez Complex - el Conjunto Juarez which is contained in the block bordered by the Juarez, Independencia, Dolores and Luis Moya Avenues. It is a 23-storey building adjacent to the Plaza Juarez to the north and to the south with the Plaza Independencia. On the ground floor is the lobby, the "treaties vault" - boveda de tratados, conference and press rooms and some public offices. In this level there is a pedestrian portico, which leads to all the different elements of the complex. On the first floor, there are reception and meeting rooms within the space forming a 12.65 m high base, the height corresponding exactly to the scale of the Corpus Christi Temple and which, therefore links the project to the Historic Centre and the other buildings in the complex. Executive dining-rooms are on the second floor and the 19 floors above contain the sub-secretariats distributed at present in different buildings. Finally on top is a floor for the building services, under which are the executive offices. The facade of the building on the two base floors is in the Huixquilucan quarry type stone. From the second level the facade is covered with a decorative cladding. For the specifications criteria for the staircases, corridors, toilets, car parking and other elements, standards are at the least those of the Federal district building rules when use by the user is required.