EL ECO… MUSEUM ANNEX

Client… UNAM
Location… Miguel Hidalgo, México DF
Area… 610 m² / 6,565 sq ft
Date… 2006
Author… Adriana Monroy / Paul Cremoux

Invited to participate in a contest with other 12 young emerging architects, ReCURSO studio designed an extension to EL ECO Museum, designed by Mathias Goeritz. We imagined the annex to EL ECO as a sober building. By no means it is intended to compete with Mathias Goeritz work. The main volume will be leaned against the west side creating a central patio and thus liberating the “Great Gray Wall”.
We want the museum to be perceived as a sculptural and urban landmark. Since the annex is small, we thought it best to make it uniform and discreet by using as few materials as possible.
The use of a light shaded concrete and modular aluminum pieces, will allow the passage of light to the interior. The annex material will work as a sober background to the current museum. The patio will be a flexible place: a main distributor, a leisure area, and the emptiness that the “Great Gray Wall” of the ECO needs.
Due to the impossibility to perforate this wall, we consider very important to create a visual relation between the pedestrian flow and the new building. The main office will then be located in a strategic area, from where the movement of museum art pieces can be monitored, and the patio and new building can be seen.