Pasaje 5 de Mayo

At the end of the last century, we testified the return to the downtowns in many cities in the world. The historical downtown, left alone fifty years before due to the seduction that suburban life offered, was revaluated as a place with an unmatched spatial quality and location.

The Pasaje 5 de Mayo was proposed in the middle of the nineties as a life alternative based in downtown Mexico City. 5 de Mayo has traditionally been one of the streets with more commercial activity in the area. The plot of land that supports the building has been assembled from three under-utilized parcels that contain a parking lot, a storehouse and an eatery.

The Pasaje is a mixed-used building. The ground floor is occupied by commerce and has three superior levels dedicated to housing. A parking garage occupies two underground levels. The logic of the building evolved from the paths of users, that work as shortcuts through the block.

Circulations inside the building take place along patios connected at the corners, which create dynamic perspectives while advancing through the building. The building keep a similar height to its neighbors, has a similar mass-void relation and continues the visual continuity between contigous constructions. The building is, nevertheless, a contemporary proposal that does not try to disguise its condition and establishes a mature dialogue with its surroundings.