Portal of Awareness

Photo © Jaime Navarro Courtesy of Rojkind Arquitectos

An installation conceived as a portal activated by city dwellers and the everyday stimuli of Mexico City.

Photo © Jaime Navarro Courtesy of Rojkind Arquitectos

Location
Mexico City
Client
Nescafé
Year
2012
Status
Program
Areas of Exploration
Construction Area
42 square meters (452 square feet)
Partners
Rojkind Arquitectos (Michel Rojkind and Gerardo Salinas)

Nescafé commissioned eight artists (Rojkind Arquitectos, Francisco Serrano, Mario Schjetnan, Bernardo Gómez-Pimienta, Fernanda Canales, Manuel Cervantes, Alejandro Quintanilla, and Alejandro Castro) to develop site-specific installations on Paseo de la Reforma, one of the city’s most important avenues, with the basic requirement of utilizing a maximum of 1,500 metal coffee mugs.

Portal of Awareness combines a common everyday object, the mug, with a common architectural construction material, steel rebar. The rebar, configured as a mesh, is used as the primary structure for the mugs, which are then mechanically attached to it. The mesh is woven from 41 main arches, ranging in length from 10 to 12 meters, intersected by two additional layers of 56 diagonals each, creating 1,497 nodes where the mugs reside.

Photo © Jaime Navarro Courtesy of Rojkind Arquitectos

Building sequence © Rojkind Arquitectos

Plan © Rojkind Arquitectos

Section © Rojkind Arquitectos

Section © Rojkind Arquitectos

Photo © Jaime Navarro Courtesy of Rojkind Arquitectos

The final shape of the portal, along with the different colors of the mugs selected, reinforce the sense of movement of the piece, which is a key conceptual aspect of the project. The steel planters anchor the structure to the ground and allow the vines to grow between the rebar. Over time, the outside of the structure will be covered in green foliage while the inside will continue to display the gradient of the mug’s chromatics. The mesh’s shadow, that shifts throughout the day, casted onto the sidewalk adds an extra layer to the project. This installation was in place during the winter months of 2012, providing a space of expression and interaction in the public realm.

Photo © Jaime Navarro Courtesy of Rojkind Arquitectos

Construction © Rojkind Arquitectos

Photo © Jaime Navarro Courtesy of Rojkind Arquitectos

Photo © Jaime Navarro Courtesy of Rojkind Arquitectos