LIVERPOOL INTERLOMAS

Understanding the new role shopping centers
play in today’s society, in which they have be-
come a magnet for social encounters and even
cultural exchanges, Rojkind Arquitectos was
commissioned to design a façade for the new
18,000m2 department store as part of a new era
in the company’s pursuit for re-branding itself.

Liverpool department stores, with a 164-year-
old history, have for the most part always been
one of the main anchor stores for large shop-
ping centers in Mexico. Its strategic location
plays an important role in the immediate urban
context.

Located in the northern “car dependent” suburb
of Interlomas on the outskirts of Mexico City,
this relatively new suburb is characterised by a
lack of open public space and a myriad of roads
on which pedestrians are not welcomed.

Located in the northern “car dependent” suburb of Interlomas on the outskirts of Mexico City, this relatively new suburb is characterised by a lack of open public space and a myriad of roads on which pedestrians are not welcomed. 

The new facade responds to a fast pace of the everyday life in this isolated suburb, sitting in the middle of a very congested intersection of highways and overpasses, which give it a futuristic “Blade Runner-like” feel. 

The double-layered façade shelters the store and it’s users from its chaotic environment. It’s sleek stainless steel machine-like exterior, is intended to evolve in a very fluid way as the intense sun bathes it throughout the day. It’s a contradiction to the grit and chaos of its surroundings; a juxtaposition that becomes a new reference for this part of the city. 

At night the hollow cavity between the layers of the façade is engulfed in light that subtly escapes through the fine reliefs formed at the folds in the skin. The façade transforms at night from its solid monochromatic appearance during the day to a dynamic form accented by light. 

As part of this new endeavour by the client, multiple design firms were selected to participate in the various parts of the project: the interiors were done by FRCH, the rooftop garden by Thomas Balsley and the gourmet space by JHP. 

In the initial workshops sessions, it became clear that the main central interior space need- ed to reflect the dynamic nature of the exterior so the client retained Rojkind Arquitectos to design this space as well. 

As the visitor enters, they are met by a three story atrium full of movement and filtered daylight that encourages the visitor to move throughout the department store. 

The curved backlit balconies are intended to be a reminder of the fluidity of the exterior façade but at a more human scale as opposed to the urban scale of the exterior façade. This play between the inside and outside is intended to create a sense of discovery for the user that culminates at the roof garden. 

The roof terrace contains a park-like setting that can be enjoyed not only by the store visitors but also by the surrounding local community, thus enhancing the social role that the department store will play. 

The complexity of the project combined with a very tight schedule and a difficult urban site condition, required the combination of a highly skilled design team and collaborators in which the interconnectivity and digital design tools have radically transformed the way we design and construct buildings today. 

Architectural Project

rojkind arquitectos Michel Rojkind [Founding Partner], Gerardo Salinas 

Team: Joe R. Tarr, Djurdja Milutinovic, Rodrigo Medina, Philipp Schlauch, Birgit Hammer, Jose Carlos Lombana, Abhirabika Agrawal, Andrea León, Beatriz Zavala. Media: Dolores Robles, Monique Rojkind, Rosalba Rojas 

Interior design 

FRCH Design Worldwide + JHP 

Structural Engineer

EMR SA 

Façade Engineer

Studio NYL 

Façade Fabrication

Zahner Metals 

Design Computational Consultant

Kokkugia 

Landscape Consultant

Thomas Balsley Associates 

Program 

Retail 

Construction Area

18,000 m2  

Design Date 

2010 

Status 

Built 

Location 

Huixquilucan, State of Mexico 

AWARDS 

2012 Merit Award, 

AIA Denver Chapter. 

Best store 2013, EHI Retail Institute and Euroshop. 

1st place in Department Store in 2013, EHI Retail Institute. 

1st place in Innovation planning in 2013, EHI Retail Institute. 

Store of the year in 2012, Chain Store Age. 

1st place in Exterior Design, Chain Store Age. 

Finalist, WAN Commercial Award, 2011