HAY! tráfico workshop has proposed an Ecoturistical Center along the Zahuapan River in Tlaxcala, Mexico. Composed of four architects: Shamed Austria, Alejandro Heredia, Karla Santana, Lucia Ezeta; the team embarks on the task of reclaiming public spaces in their city and “democratizing” them for public use.
Their proposal is an Eco-turistical Center that physically embodies all of the dimensions of community to serve as public spaces for a wide variety of uses.
More images and proposal description after the break.
The Architects’ response to the transformation of public land to private land has resulted in their proposal to reintegrate these spaces that are under threat of privatization and bring them back into society. The idea of the Eco-Turistic Center is one that synthesizes the urban aspects of Tlaxcala along the Zahuapan River while maintaining the landscape potential within city centers.
The proposal includes many commercial assets to the area including a hotel, shopping area, auditorium, congress hall, business center, art museum, football and tennis courts, pool, spa, gym and an open promenade along the Zahuapan River. The ambitious proposal hopes to include all aspects of urban life, from the business and commercial to the recreation, in a synthesized proposal. These aspects are then integrated into the physical environmental aspect of the site through the creation of an artificial landscape of slopes and curves that are defined by pathways and open spaces and views to the river and the mountains. There is a desire to integrate natural life and human lifestyle into a fluid transition in the center of the Tlaxcala urban fabric.
The element of discovery is inherent in the proposal that provides room for roaming through the public space which gives the visitor an opportunity to experience the wide range of programs available in this proposal as well as the appreciation of the views available.
Courtesy of HAY! tráfico workshop
The proposed site already includes housing within its limits, which the architects regard as a critical element to retain, citing it as a “small city” within their proposal as part of a “global project.” The goal of the proposal is to provide safety, employment and attractions through the reactivation of this zone in Tlaxcala along the Zahuapan River.
