Materia Completes Concrete and Wood Pavilion for Design Week México 2017

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For the 9th edition of Design Week Mexico, emerging Mexican practice Materia has completed a architectural pavilion within Mexico City's largest public green space, Chapultepec Park. Commissioned by Design Week Mexico in collaboration with Museo Tamayo, the pavilion will serve as a major cultural attraction during the event from October 11th—15th, and beyond.

In designing Parteluz (Mullion), Materia's concept was to materialize "an artifact made of pavilion and place — a tool for the mapping of time, the dissection of light and the embracement of shadow." The rhythm of the structure's interwoven column and beam grids create an interplay of light and shadow, projecting dynamic patterns onto the ground and surrounding environment.

"Its language expresses contrast and duality: object and void coming together in an intertwined fabric of contemporary spirit," explain the architects. "Made with craft and distilled technique, the space invites reflection and contemplation."

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Arranged within a two curving arcs, 70 white concrete columns dissect the immediate context of the Tamayo Museum and Chapultepec Park, their stereotomic character representative of the relationship between structure and earth in Mexican architecture. Even at its height of 4.8 meters (~16 feet), the space retains an intimacy. Double pine wood beams reminiscent of Mexican craftsmanship connect the columns, creating a composition of elements that can be seen in their projected shadows.

Based in Mexico City, Materia was founded by Gustavo Carmona and Lisa Beltran in 2006 as a multi-disciplinary team focused on one design philosophy: "The creation of atmospheres expressed through the thoughtful craft of materials and detail." The firm has completed projects across the world in a range of scales and typologies, including residential, cultural, interiors and hospitality to high-end retail and historic preservation. Notable projects include the Pabellón Quinta Montes Molina in Mérida, the Veracruz Business Center, Casa U and the Louis Vuitton flagship store in Mexico City.

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Previous editions of the annual Tamayo/Design Week Mexico project included architectural pavilions by Tatiana Bilbao, Alejandro Castro, C Cúbica & Palomba +Serafini Associati and Nikolaus Hirsch / Michel Müller.

With Mexico City's selection of host city for World Design Capital 2018, this edition of Design Week Mexico (October 11th—15th) is offering an expansive program of exhibitions, interventions and talks that encourage architects and members of the community to engage in innovation and debate.