The overview of the 4th Competition for the Historic Center of Mexico City, proposed the transformation of the public space around two principal areas. First, the streets and comercial area; and second, the remodelling of the existing Artisans’ Market located in the Plaza of San Juan.

The latter is a fundamental site in downtown Mexico City, and the evidence of its deterioration is noticeable in the disorderly practice of informal trade, the inadequate use of the premises, and the significant physical and traffic obstacles that prevent the visitor from becoming the protagonist of such a site. The area to be remodelled encompasses all of Dolores Street, through Chinatown and the Luminarias Market, continuing by the Plaza of San Juan–including the Artisans Market–, and ending in Pugibet Street. The priorities borne in mind were to order and recover the existing space to enhance an experience exchange by way of a new cultural and commercial program for the area, taking into account the standards of sustainability, energy-saving measures, and the harnessing of natural resources.

It was understood that the natural demand of the commercial complex did not only comprise the resident population, but the working and touristic population as well, and this was to be maintained as a guiding principle. Therefore, the number and quality of the existing commercial structure was to be improved.

The proposal of urban intervention seeks to be a reference with guidelines and working criteria that enhances the attractiveness of said complex located in the Historic Center of Mexico City. Bearing in mind the merchants’ opinions the work that has been carried out has reached the point of designing urbanization elements.

The color palette chosen was meant to respect the essence of the Historic Center. The solid design reflected functionality and materiality suitable for use at rough sites.

Among the initial conditioning factors involved, was the sustainability aspect of the construction. In this regard, we understood that the architectural design to be presented was to be a magnificent work of engineering, where rainwater could be channeled benefiting from the unevenness in the terrain and the use of small water deposits. The latter, together with a solar-powered pump, would provide water for irrigation and street cleaning purposes.

The changes in terms of vehicular and pedestrian traffic were: sidewalk enlargement, differentiation in vehicular and pedestrian groundwork, rearrangement of urban fittings, redesigning of crosswalks to ensure greater perspective for pedestrians, and visible traffic lights for improved security and functionality.

Curbs and sidewalks were removed in order to create only one circulation level, thus leaving the street and commercial levels entirely accessible for handicapped people. Pedestrian streets were created, and the space previously used by 150 parked cars was employed for vegetation, benches, and other decorating urban furniture.

With these modifications it was possible to widen the bike lane, and give the local merchants extra load and unload area.

Another important aspect of this project was the integration of the ground level shops. The advertising panels were unified with an Oxford gray matte Alucobond band with backlighting. This change caused the commercial area to appear attractive and consistent.  Regarding the renovation of the window shops, four typologies were employed (all considering the tradesmen requirements): open windows using a security curtain of anodized aluminum with multiple perforations; semi-open windows using aluminum works or screens; or closed/private windows using fixes aluminum works with sliding/swing doors.

With the alterations on the façade and the street level, the project seeks to rescue the identity of the neighborhood, thus benefiting the original residents and current tradesmen, as well as contributing to the significance of the Historic Center of Mexico City. The renovations encourage the creation of an atmosphere of respect among residents and tourists.

The second part of the transformation is the remodelling of the Artisans’ Market located in the Plaza of San Juan. The idea is to open the inside of the market to the street level. As a result, the entire project provides continuity to this public space. To achieve this, we used grazed slopes on the market’s ground floor, and we opened the façade wall for the tradesmen to establish themselves and attract tourists into the building.

It is understood that the success of our project is to introduce complementary structures to the commercial activities, mainly because we believe that the Artisans’ Market should become the nerve center of the zone, not only in a commercial and pedestrian plane, but in a cultural plane as well. For this reason, we reorganized the current market configuration in three levels: first, the basement or parking level, part of which will remain for vehicle occupancy, and another part for an underground art gallery that will be illuminated by skylights. Second, the ground floor or level of access, which will be united by grazed slopes set on the main level and street, opening the market doors to the street level–a common practice downtown–, thus leading to the launching of new and prestigious commercial establishments such as restaurants, bookstores, etc. On the third level, the weave of shops will remain, with openings in the façade to create viewpoints of the Plaza.

The façade of the Artisans’ Market will also be remodelled. The current structure is definitely not eye-catching. This project proposes the use of an exoskeleton based on an artisanal pattern that will create depth and shading effects furnishing the complex with a recognizable identity. We aim to rescue the drooping commercial activity with this project.