regeneraci贸n
a vision plan for the distrito Tec and the Monterrey campus of the
instituto tecnol贸gico y de estudios superiores de Monterrey january 2014
regeneraci贸n
a vision plan for the distrito Tec and the Monterrey campus of the
instituto tecnol贸gico y de estudios superiores de Monterrey
letter from the president Friends of Tec de Monterrey, Two years ago, the Board of Trustees of ITESM recognized that Tec de Monterrey could be instrumental in achieving a Regeneraci贸n of the neighborhoods of the City of Monterrey that surround the Tec campus, renamed Distrito Tec. This regeneraci贸n requires a visionary plan for the Tec itself, positioning it to become a catalyst for new investment in the area, improving the fabric of the City, creating new jobs, and stimulating the improvement of infrastructure. To achieve this, we must: Create a physical environment across the entire campus that supports the Tec 21 vision for engaged learning Develop partnerships with business and industry entrepreneurs that generate higher levels of research and product innovation, and provide the space to support this activity Provide a modern, beautiful campus setting that attracts and retains the best local, national, and international students and faculty Build a campus that encourages collaboration and the crossing of disciplinary boundaries Ensure than the Tec provides a setting that nurtures mind, body, and spirit, with cultural, social, and athletic facilities second to none
The plan also requires strategic improvements to the Distrito that have an immediate impact on the community, such as improved parks, better security, and improved streets and landscaping, which will attract investment while improving the lives of residents. The Trustees are convinced that future economic development in Mexico will be heavily dependent on the capacity of private institutions to serve as catalysts for entrepreneurship and innovation. As the leading private institution in Mexico, with 31 campuses and national reach, Tec de Monterrey must lead this effort. Completing a Master Plan has been the essential first step. This Master Plan, prepared by Parsons Consulting and Sasaki Associates, working closely with many branches of Tec leadership, lays out the roadmap for Regeneraci贸n, and includes projects that will require private investment from business and industry, as well as projects that will require investment by the Tec. The Plan was approved by the Trustees on September 19, 2013. Early priorities have been adopted, and full implementation is expected to take 10 years. While the plan focuses primarily on land already owned by the Tec, the framework it provides for improvement and redevelopment in the Distrito Tec as a whole promises quickly to transform the area, and to position the Tec to make an unparalleled contribution to the Mexican economy and social fabric. It is an inspiring but achievable vision.
salvador alva
President, Tecnol贸gico de Monterrey
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introduction Tecnol贸gico de Monterrey, with an extraordinary 70-year history of continuously expanding influence across the spectrum of Mexican education, is poised to become the leader in stimulating national urban and economic regeneration, and to prove the power of Latin American universities as engines of innovation and entrepreneurship. Currently ranked 7th in Latin America, and 279th globally (QS), the Tec has set an objective to become one of the top 100 global universities, and the best university in Latin America. To meet this goal requires targeted investment in the development of research and graduate programs, and the recruitment of top national and international faculty and students. Essential components of this strategy will be the development of multiple partnerships with business and industry to compensate for low levels of government support, and the creation of an environment in the university neighborhood (the Distrito Tec) that will attract significant research and development investment, while making sure the community transforms into a very lively, attractive and dynamic district. The attraction of outstanding national and international faculty, graduate students, and undergraduates also requires new investment in the campus environment. The Monterrey campus, already an unusually attractive and vibrant community, must be upgraded to come unquestionably the best university campus in Latin America. Important elements required to meet this goal are: targeted investment in innovative learning environments; physical reorganization to achieve greater interdisciplinary collaboration; significantly improved support for student life; creation of an overall campus setting that is distinguished by quality of design.
Parsons consulting sasaki associates
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executive summary
This Master Plan prepared by Sasaki Associates and Philip Parsons, in association Mobility in Chain, is the product of an intensive eight month collaboration with Tec leadership, faculty, and staff , under the guidance of Jose Antonio Torre. This document is an encapsulation of the many detailed studies and analyses that contribute to the complete plan, which is bound in a separate document of some 500 pages. The plan hopes to serve as a guide and an inspiration for the future of the Tec, as it consolidates its role locally and nationally in the coming years, becoming increasingly a catalyst for economic and social development, and contributing to the larger society. 6
Contents
investigation and discovery
10
master plan vision
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research expansion + entrepreneurship
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collaboration
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engaged learning
50
mind, body spirit integration
62
neighborhood and community development
78
implementation
92
acknowledgments
96 7
a vision for the district and campus The Master Plan balances investment in the Tec campus with investment in the Distrito Tec, the groups of colonias surrounding the Tec. The plan makes a strong commitment to strengthening the connections between the Tec Campus and the Distrito Tec, and builds on the conviction that a great university requires a vibrant and successful surrounding community.
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existing campus de io rey r sa ter ch Ro on ur M ch 2 de a
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1 RECTORIA 2 LA CARRETA 3 CENTRALES (DINING / ADMIN / DORMS) 4 AULAS 1 5 AULAS 2 6 CETEC 7 LIBRARY 8 cAMPANARIO 9 GYM 10 MANUFACTURING LAB 11 AULAS 3 12 AULAS 4 13 AULAS 7 / LAB 14 STUDENT CENTER 15 Pabell贸n TEC 16 biotechnology 17 arts 18 business / social sciences / humanities 19 swimming pool 20 admin 21 ciap (classrooms) 22 cedes 23 dining 24 dorms 25 residencias iii (dorm) 26 la choza 27 cultural center 28 architecture 29 parking garage 30 tecnol贸gico stadium 31 water treatment plant 32 campus norte (Tec system admin / lottery) 33 athletics 34 guarderia Tec (daycare)
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stadium 24
Investigation and discovery
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Investigation and discovery
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Investigation and discovery
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Investigation and discovery
the Tec is a powerful generator of leadership, innovation, and revitalization in Monterrey
site impressions Poor Pedestrian Experience
Isolated Fields CIAP
Too Wide Obsolete Housing
Isolated Dining
Investigation and discovery
Oversized and Car Dominated Roundabout
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Views to Mountain
Oversized and Obsolete Stadium
Underutilized Plaza
Centro Cultural BiotecnologĂa
Gimnasio
CIAP
CETEC Rectoria
Insular Campus
Surrounded by Wide Roads
Poor Pedestrian Experience
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Investigation and discovery
Poor Retail Frontage Dominated by Surface Parking
site impressions Oversized and Car Dominated Roundabout
Poor Pedestrian Experience
Road Too Wide
Insular Campus
Surrounded by Wide Roads
Investigation and discovery
Rectoria
16
Isolated Dining
Obsolete Housing
Road Too Wide
Poor Classroom Environment
Tunnel Aulas 1
CIAP
Underutilized Open Space
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Investigation and discovery
Pond
site impressions
Surface Parking
Centro EstudiantĂl Aulas 4
Investigation and discovery
Road Too Wide
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Views to Mountain
CEDES
CETEC BiotecnologĂa
CIAP
Rectoria
Arquitectura
Road Too Wide
Dangerous Intersection Surface Parking
Oversized Stadium
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Investigation and discovery
Requires significant investment, Poorly located in relation to the academic core
Investigation and discovery
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Investigation and discovery
the Tec can be a major catalyst for the transformation of the city
Mind Body S master plan vision
Vision and Philosophy
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The Master Plan for the campus is driven by an integrated vision of human development and education, where the Mind, the Body, and the Spirit are equally nurtured. Broadly speaking, these three areas are represented by academic life, social life, and sports. Until the last decade, these three areas tended to be treated separately on college campuses, and accommodated in isolation by academic buildings, a student center, and gym and playing fields.
Today, we see the Mind, the Body, and the Spirit as integrated and inseparable. All parts of the student experience are inteconnected. Social life and academic life are often indistinguishable, as students learn to collaborate on projects, and form study groups. The library becomes a social space as well as a space for reflection, contemplation, and research. The gym or recreation center becomes a place to keep the mind active and healthy, as well as the body.
Society and student culture have changed rapidly in the past decade, and our understanding of learning has also evolved.
The whole campus becomes a classroom, where the many forms of learning come together to shape human experience.
dy Spirit
master plan vision
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Transpa Conne Com Framework Concepts
master plan vision
The Tecnol贸gico de Monterrey campus, as indicated above, is the first planned university campus in Mexico. Designed by Enrique de la Mora in 1947 through an invited competition, the plan possesses a strong Latin American modernist ethos and aesthetics. Meticulous attention was given to solar orientation, ventilation and circulation. The plan creates a compact university community on a 40-hectare site, with a clear pedestrian circulation spine connecting the academic program. A robust public realm brings together student and faculty housing with sports and recreation facilities. The clear campus diagram supported the idea of
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interconnectedness and collaboration, as the Tec quickly moved to provide the expertise and intellectual capacity that were essential to fueling the rapidly expanding Monterrey economy. This excellent starting point serves the Tec very well today as it commits itself to adjusting the image and functioning of the campus and its neighborhood to respond to contemporary needs and trends.
As Mind, Body, and Spirit are integrated, three primary principles are at work in the redesign of the campus: Transparency, Connectivity, and Community.
arency ectivity mmunity Transparency
Connectivity
Community
In a university with a dominant focus on Engineering, and on solving practical problems, visibility is essential. Today’s challenges are typically interdisciplinary in nature, and solving them must draw on a full range of expertise across a university campus and beyond.
If collaboration and entrepreneurship are key to economic and social success in today’s Mexico, the Tec’s campus must respond to the need for improved connections.
A well-planned campus generates a strong community, by providing the overall design and the facilities and activities that draw people together. Open spaces, places to share food, meeting spaces within buildings are all important. Equally important is the way that people circulate within a campus and a neighborhood.
These needs translate directly into design. Buildings should be beacons rather than fortresses, light and glassy, rather than dark and enclosed. Where possible, buildings should demonstrate their function, and be inviting.
Connections to the community surrounding the Tec, and to the larger Monterrey community, are as important as connections within the campus.
Connectivity is an essential component of a vibrant physical environment, and a campus plan that emphasizes connectivity through wayfinding, mobility, landscape, and the design or redesign of individual buildings will better support the Tec’s core mission.
The Tec campus already fosters a strong sense of community because of its strong organizational framework. As the campus expands through new activities and partnerships, this sense of community must be preserved and enhanced. The larger community, the Distrito Tec, must also be supported and enhanced, through improvement to the public realm, such as streets and parks, and by development of community facilities.
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master plan vision
Students and professors moving through the campus must be able to see what others in other academic disciplines are doing. Work and ideas must be shared. This requires a culture of transparency and sharing, rather than a culture of isolation and secrecy, and a more limited sense of hierarchy.
The connections may be among individuals in a department, among students in different academic disciplines, between different aspects of learning, whether they support Mind, Body, or Spirit.
RESEARCH EXPANSION + ENTREPRENEURSHIP Major expansion of applied research and development through a focus on innovation and entrepreneurship, and pursuit of partnerships with business and industry, is at the heart of the Master Plan. Two major areas of R&D expansion are planned, one on land adjacent to Garza Sada, with high visibility, and including an Innovation Center and Alumni Center. The other R&D area is on the site of the stadium.
COLLABORATION SPACES The Master Plan introduces multiple opportunities for collaboration among faculty, and between students. The library is transformed and enlarged, to become a crossroads for the campus. The original heart of the campus, including Aulas 1 and Aulas 2 and the Rectoria are adapted to create a wholly new work environment, called the Faculty Student Commons. At the heart of the Student and Faculty Commons will be the TecXXI Exchange Pavilion, a focal point for dialogs, assemblies, presentations, social events, and presentation of ideas. New dining venues will be created and the existing dining centers will be improved, to increase opportunities for dialog and collaboration in a social context.
ENGAGED LEARNING
Two “learning nodes�, one at each end of the campus, will enhance connections between programs and buildings and improve the overall learning environment. The Design Center, a new transparent and multidisciplinary structure, will bring Architecture, Art and Design into a close relationship with Engineering, while integrating the Student Center into the academic core of the campus. The Biotec Plaza, in front of CIAP, will create a crossroads with collaborative dining areas integrating the Biotec building with CIAP, the classroom building, and allowing for expansion of Biotec research.
master plan vision
program components Meeting the needs of Mind, Body, and Spirit through the strategies of Transparency, Connectivity, and Community has been translated into five specific areas of campus and neighborhood improvement and redevelopment, each one reflecting an appropriate integration of the core elements, and building on the existing campus framework, while optimizing use of existing landholdings. 26
MIND, BODY SPIRIT INTEGRATION Relocation of the Borregos stadium to a new appropriately sized venue, integrated into the neighborhood, will allow for the redesigned Escamilla fields to be connected back to the main campus, and a much-needed new and comprehensive Recreation Center to be built with strong physical connections to the academic campus. This development will integrate the campus as a whole, and build campus community. Expanded cultural facilities will serve both campus and community.
NEIGHBORHOOD REGENERATION + COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT To create a stronger campus community, student housing will be expanded, and faculty housing will be provided, integrated with both campus and neighborhood. In the Distrito Tec, new community amenities will be developed to create jobs and develop entrepreneurial opportunities, while creating an attractive environment for private investment on land owned by the Tec. To improve the neighborhood, parks, streets, sidewalks, and security and sustainability strategies will be implemented.
Research and Development Allied industries, partnerships with Tec applied research activities
Innovation, Entrepreneurship and Alumni Center Startups, networking, mentoring, business incubation
Learning Commons and Library Student life environments, library, integrated study, dining and cafe
Faculty Student Commons Co-work spaces, faculty lounge, project spaces
Tec XXI Exchange Pavilion Showcase, events, flexible spaces, information hub, system-wide crossroads
New Dining Experience Enhance and expand food services on campus and district
Design Center Engineering, art, architecture, industrial design, industry gateway
Biotec Plaza Program expansion, industry gateway
TecRec Recreation Center Indoor facilities, connected to campus
Borregos Stadium Mexico’s most sustainable stadium, integrated with amenities
Cultural Expansion Expansion of Cultural programs on campus and district
New Student and Faculty Housing New modes of living, neighborhood integration
Community Facilities Public Realm Improvements Parks, sidewalks, bike lanes, sustainability strategies, safety 27
master plan vision
Job training, community spaces, outreach, social incubators
a NEW CAMPUS FLOW At present, the various landholdings of the campus are somewhat disconnected, and there is no clear sense of interrelationship between them. The stadium, in a sea of parking, creates a boundary on the edge of the academic campus, and isolates the Escamilla fields. The Parque Tecnol贸gico neighborhood, and the Avenida del Estado retail area are similarly isolated. The initial vision for redevelopment that inspired the Master Plan imagined a flow, represented on the accompanying diagram by a green arrow, that moved through Avenida del Estado, across the historic core of the original campus, and then swung in an arc through the Borregos stadium site up to Escamilla.
Strategic Interventions
master plan vision
The plan imagines a series of strategic interventions along this line of flow, bringing a unifying energy to the campus and the neighborhood.
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master plan vision
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overall framework While the Master Plan more than doubles the total gross square meters of built space on campus land holdings, the overall framework preserves the most successful aspects of parts of the current campus. The strong pedestrian axes creating a visible and energized community, and a satisfying relationship between buildings and landscape with the feeling of an urban park, are built on and enhanced in the new plan.
1 TEC xxi exchange pavilion 2 library 3 design center 4 biotech plaza 5 academic expansion 6 chapel 7 plaza Tec 8 innovation and alumni center 9 research cluster 10 Tec recreation center 11 cultural expansion 12 borregos stadium 13 park and fields 14 Parque tecnol贸gico 15 Community plaza 16 community resource center 17 education lab 18 campus norte
master plan vision
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master plan vision
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The program spine
master plan vision
The dominant line of flow in the new Master Plan moves through a varied series of program elements, from improved retail on Avenida del Estado, past the Rectoria, the iconic heart of the campus, to the Student and Faculty Commons area , and then between the new recreation Center and new student housing, in a park that incorporates informal playing fields, to the Stadium, Campus Norte, and the Escamilla fields.
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master plan vision
33
Research Expansion + Entrepreneurship Tec de Monterrey is a recognized national leader in innovation, entrepreneurship, and patent applications, and is positioned to be a catalyst for economic expansion in Monterrey and in other centers of development in Mexico. The Tec was the first Mexican university to be accredited by an American accrediting agency, and has a long history of academic excellence, and associated research. Tec de Monterrey is a recognized national leader in innovation, entrepreneurship, and patent applications, and is positioned to be a catalyst for economic expansion in Monterrey and in other centers of development in Mexico. Government funding in research is very limited in Mexico, by comparison with the United States. Increased applied research and development activity will depend on the Tec´s ability to attract private sector funding and partnerships
Increased applied research and development activity will depend on the Tec’s ability to attract private sector funding. A further difficulty is the lack of graduate students. Many of the best Mexican students do their graduate work in American universities, where funds to support graduate study are more readily available. The lack of graduate students also limits the capacity to form research groups at the Tec.
research expansion
To grow the level of research activity, the Tec will need to rely on expansion of private funding for applied research. Currently, growth in partnerships is limited by lack of available research space, and the lack of an environment suited to attract investment. The plan identifies three potential sites for the expansion of research activity in the academic core, allowing for up to 14,000 square meters of new construction. Equally significant, it provides multiple sites for research and development activity, both in the area around CEDES and adjacent to Garza Sada, and on the site of the current stadium. 34
The area around CEDES is very high value land, and currently under-developed. The site is occupied by a littleused softball field, on-grade parking, and low-rise housing, and has the potential to accommodate more than 80,000 square meters of new research and development space, in addition to CEDES (22,000 square meters), which might also be redeveloped as R&D space. Midrise and high-rise construction on this site would have high visibility from Garza Sada. The design concept is illustrated on the following page, where potential new construction is outlined in blue. A center for innovation is also proposed on the site, and might be combined with an alumni center, designed to strengthen connections between alumni in the business community and student and faculty entrepreneurs.
To attract investment, the Tec must first invest in its campus and neighborhood, creating an environment that generates optimism and appeals to global students, teachers and researchers. On the site of the current stadium, there will also be attractive opportunities for outside investment. The plan allows for a minimum of 42,000 square meters of development for R&D, in the context of a park-like atmosphere, and with access to outstanding facilities, such as the new Recreation Center, and the expanded Cultural Center.
research expansion
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cedes
Existing conditions
av. del estado
innovation and alumni center
Re
ct or
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The proposed research cluster in the area around CEDES is well connected to both the campus and the district. An innovation and alumni center strengthens the synergies between alumni in the business community and student and faculty entrepreneurs
cetec
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research expansion
existing buildings renovated buildings
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proposed buildings
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library
aca de
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Paseo Tec
To fields plaza
To fields
CIAP mic
exp an
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biotec plaza
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biotec
Tec xxi Pavilion
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research expansion
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research expansion
The new research district will be unique to the City of Monterrey, capitalizing on the status of the Tec to provide a world class research and development environment.
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research expansion
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r+D
Existing conditions
On the site of the current stadium, there will also be attractive opportunities for outside investment. The plan allows for a minimum of 42,000 square meters of development for R&D, in the context of a park-like atmosphere, and with access to outstanding facilities, such as the new Recreation Center, and the expanded Cultural Center.
research expansion
existing buildings renovated buildings proposed buildings
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recreation center
ion
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s an xp
r+D
r+D
housing
Cultural expansion
height of buildings scale down towards the campus
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JardĂn de las carreras 41
research expansion
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borregos stadium
Collaboration
Research in Mexico is typically applied research, and focused on identified, real-world challenges. Problems addressed by applied research are complex, and draw on many disciplines. They require collaboration, and the constant sharing of ideas. The TecXXI Exchange, the Student Faculty Commons, and the new Library will provide an inspiring setting for collaboration. The strong focus on applied research in Mexico is driven by the nature of research funding. While in the US government funding is sufficient to support a large volume of basic research, government funding in Mexico is limited, focused on applied research, and largely directed at pubic institutions. Researchers at private institutions, such as Tec de Monterrey, have to complement research funding from private sources. These sources are focused on already identified challenges, where solutions offer the promise of business growth and economic development.
The Tec XXI Exchange will be an embodiment of the reality that innovation often results from openness and visibility, and is stimulated by the work of others.
collaboration
Increasingly the solving of applied research challenges and problems depends on collaboration across traditional disciplinary boundaries. This reality is widely acknowledged, and is reflected in the US government’s trend in grant funding towards projects that cross disciplinary, and even institutional boundaries. The Master Plan provides a rich opportunity for creating an environment at the Tec that fosters collaboration and the softening of disciplinary boundaries, to encourage the growth of applied research. This need for collaborative skills extends equally to undergraduates. Because the Tec currently supports a limited number of graduate students, undergraduates are heavily involved in faculty research projects. The TecXXI Exchange provides a forum at the heart of the campus for the sharing of ideas, and is a manifestation of the new entrepreneurial energy of the Tec. On the site of the current La Carretta dining facility, the building will be the focal point of the new Faculty Student Commons area. It will be a transparent, adaptable, highly flexible venue for demonstrations, gatherings, presentations, debates, and informal discussions. Because it is on the crossroads on the main pedestrian pathways through the campus, it will generate serendipitous interaction, and an awareness of the interdisciplinary energy of today’s Tec. It will be an embodiment of the reality than innovation often results from openness and visibility, and the inspiration that comes from seeing the work of others. It will also be a place to showcase the current work of the Tec to outsiders, visitors, and the community. 42
The Student and Faculty Commons will provide an entirely new kind of workplace, encouraging collaboration across disciplines, and connecting parttime instructors from business and industry to the creative life of the Tec community. The Student Faculty Commons initiative will involve the adaptive reuse of Aulas 1 and Aulas 2 to create a new collaborative environment for faculty, both full-time and part-time, and to encourage greater interaction between teachers and their students. Today, faculty offices are widely distributed and often isolated. Work spaces provide little incentive for collaboration within academic departments, and do not bring together professors from different disciplines. The renovated spaces will emphasize transparency and connectivity, and will have many informal meeting areas. “Hot desks” adjacent to full-time faculty work areas will be provided for part-time instructors, to encourage their engagement in the collaborative life of the Tec community.
The renovated library will be the hub of collaboration for Tec students, and a showpiece for the Tec’s new approach to learning. A plan to transform and enlarge the Tec library is a major priority in the Master Plan. A recent renovation of the fourth floor of the library as a Learning Commons has been extraordinarily successful. This concept will be extended to the first floor of the library, which will become accessible to the outside in all directions, making the library an easy destination for collaborative work. A cafe and meeting areas will be added and quiet study areas will be improved. The exterior walls of the library will be replaced and extended, giving the library views to the mountains and to the rest of the campus, while making it a dramatic architectural focal point.
collaboration
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collaboration
Existing conditions
The Faculty and Student Commons concept includes the Tec XXI Exchange, the CEDDIE project in the Rectoria, Aulas 1 and Aulas 2, and eventually the Administrativo and Dormitorio buildings, to create a hub for collaboration and innovation, at the heart of the campus, free from disciplinary boundaries, and combined with new approaches to teaching and learning. 44
collaboration
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collaboration
existing
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collaboration
The Tec XXI Exchange will be an embodiment of the reality that innovation often results from openness and visibility, and is stimulated by the work of others.
collaboration
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collaboration
respectful renovation of core campus buildings will reinvigorate collaboration
Engaged Learning While higher education institutions everywhere have embraced the concept of engaged learning, with the student as an active participant rather than a passive receiver of knowledge, Tec de Monterrey is well-positioned to create the optimum physical environment to support the new approach, and to turn the concept into reality.
A supportive environment for engaged learning is especially important at the Tec, with its commitment to innovation and entrepreneurship. Engaged learning requires that we think of the entire campus as the classroom. Learning happens everywhere: in classrooms, in hallways, in dining areas, in dormitories, in sports facilities, and outdoors. Some claim that “all learning is fundamentally social”, and that effective learning always needs to be reinforced by human interaction. We learn from peers, often as much as we do from instructors. We learn, increasingly, with the aid of technology. Frequently, professors experiment with the concept of the “flipped classroom”, where what used to be covered in a classroom lecture is covered on the computer away from the classroom, by video or other means , while classroom time is used for questions and discussion.
engaged learning
What this means is that we have to look beyond having “enough” classrooms to support learning, and to think about how classrooms are furnished to support group work, discussion, and working on projects, as well as considering what is outside classrooms to encourage continuing dialog, such as meeting areas and breakout spaces;how dining facilities encourage dialog; and whether the main pedestrian axes of the campus lend themselves to informal study and conversation. The Tec campus already supports a strong learning environment, especially outdoors, where a benign climate, ubiquitous wireless service, and a large inventory of picnic tables, under a pleasant and mature tree canopy provide an unusually effective collaborative environment. Plans for reinvigorating the Tec library, discussed above, will also have a major impact on learning, as will the creation of the Student and Faculty Commons, also discussed above.
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Today the student, not the professor, is at the center of the learning process. And the best learning takes place when the student is engaged in solving problems related to real projects.
In addition to the Student and Faculty Commons and the Library transformation, the Master Plan calls for the creation of two “learning nodes”, one at each end of the campus, designed to weave together the various components of the learning environment, and to add transformative elements,. These changes will ensure that social and academic life are fully interwoven, while learning and research are integrated. The Biotec Plaza Learning Node effectively transforms the recently completed CIAP classroom building from a conventional classroom and office building to a component of a comprehensive learning environment. This transformation requires modification to the building to increase informal learning spaces and increase transparency, while improving connections to the rest of the campus and facilitating vertical circulation. In front of the CIAP building, the plaza, which is currently a major heat island and difficult to use, will support a variety of food service venues and informal gathering places, under a series of geometric canopies, while below the plaza the school shop will have an expanded and improved location.
Two “nodes” for learning, at either end of the campus, will create new opportunities for engaged learning across the disciplines. This area will attract student and staff from the Business School, the Humanities and the Social Sciences, as well as the from the Biotec Building, and other buildings in the area. As new Biotec buildings are added, they will form part of the learning node. The other learning node, named The Design Center, requires the construction of a new home for Architecture, Art and Design, currently the most scattered school, in the parking area in front of the Student Center. The building will also accommodate growth in Engineering, and will be designed as a marketplace for collaboration and ideas in these related disciplines, while improving their visibility and transparency for all members of the Tec community.
engaged learning
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engaged learning
design center
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engaged learning
biotechnology
biotec plaza
Currently retail dining next to CIAP is well used but concealed, and does little to generate academic community. The new plan, shown here in section, connects CIAP to the plaza with new stairs and expanded balconies, while also making connections to the existing Biotec building and a proposed new building that will allow increased research in this discipline. The plaza will be shared and pleasant, and will often a variety of food options.
engaged learning
The space below the plaza will house the Tec store, with expanded retail activity.
section 54
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engaged learning
existing
existing
engaged learning
Currently the plaza is uncomfortably hot, and has the effect of isolating CIAP, the main classroom building, from the rest of the campus, making it more attractive for students to leave the campus, using the adjacent parking garage. The new plan will integrate CIAP with the campus, and strengthen the academic community.
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engaged learning
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design center The wealth of innovative work in Engineering at the Tec is today largely invisible. The Master Plan changes this by enclosing the Engineering courtyards and making them into workshops and demonstration spaces, while opening up the spaces that surround the courtyards with glass, and building small additions that connect the buildings to the open spaces behind the library.
Workshop
wo workspace
Lectures
The Design Building between Engineering and the Student Center will reinforce the Engineering buildings, and will strengthen the connections between the two academic areas.
Workspace
Tec library
ROOF
engaged learning
aulas 2
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workshop
centro estudiantil
Lectures
exhibit workshop
workshop fabrication lab
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engaged learning
workshop
engaged learning
existing
the inside of the design building will showcase ideas in a workshop atmosphere 60
engaged learning
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Mind, Body, Spirit Integration A strong sports program and outstanding recreational facilities are essential components of the Tec’s vision of an integrated education, combining a focus on mind, body, and spirit. In the Master Plan, a new Recreation Center and a new Stadium will support this vision. When benchmarked against peers in the United States, the Tec’s existing sports and recreation facilities are very limited. In addition, the Stadium, with the departure of the professional Club de Fútbol Monterrey is now too large for the Tec’s needs, and being over 60 years old is in need of major repairs. In addition, the Stadium occupies an enormously valuable development site for the Tec. The Master Plan proposes relocating the stadium, resizing it, and making it a more complete expression of today’s needs for university sports teams. This relocation will make possible the construction of a state-of-the-art Recreation Center. Today’s recreation centers on university campuses are more than exercise rooms. They integrate physical and social wellbeing into the life of students, faculty, and staff. They respond to growing concerns about the health of students and employees, and expanded interest in fitness among students. They enhance a sense of community on campuses, and have a strong positive impact on recruitment and retention of students.
mind.body.spirit
The new Recreation Center will have a strong connection to the core campus, and to make a bridge to the Escamilla playing fields and the new stadium
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highly visible and welcoming, strongly supporting the principles of transparency, connectivity, and community. The Recreation Center will be sited to make natural connection between the core campus and the Escamilla playing fields, adjacent to the parking garage, and looking out onto new informal playing fields, built over new underground parking on the site of the old Stadium. Together with the new playing fields, it will make a green connection from the campus to the playing fields.
The new stadium is a dramatic improvement, is appropriately sized and integrated into the neighborhood, and includes all facilities needed to support competitive teams, while also supporting day-to-day activities The building will include many sustainable features, and will also be designed to be something of a social hub, with a cafe and lounges. In many ways it will augment or replace the functions of a student center.
The current facilities at the Tec are inadequate to meet this need. The rooms in the basement of the Student Center are severely overcrowded, the gymnasium, while a wonderful and architecturally important facility, is insufficient to support the range of Tec sports and recreation activities. The swimming pool is too small to be used for competition, while occupying a prime site for academic expansion.
The new Stadium, sited north of the existing Stadium, will be designed to accommodate up to 15,000 spectators, compared to the 35,000 currently accommodated. It is designed to be highly sustainable. By removing the track from the perimeter of the field, the stadium can be smaller and more intimate, enhancing spectator involvement and increasing the home field advantage. All team sport requirements are built into the facility. The stadium also includes many revenue-generating features, and is better designed for crown management.
The new 11,000 square meter Recreation Center will integrate an expanded gymnasium, an Olympic sized pool, and expanded exercise and recreation facilities under one roof. It will be
The design of the stadium responds to its urban setting, giving it engagement with the street and including opportunities for retail to serve the neighborhood.
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mind.body.spirit
the new sports and recreation plan ties the campus lands together and creates a park-like continuity from the Rectoria to Escamilla
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mind.body.spirit
existing
transparency and access strengthen the relationship between the Recreation Center and the fields 66
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existing
mind.body.spirit
The current stadium requires significant investment and is poorly located in relation to the academic core.
the proposed Recreation Center looks out to the new mixed use district, with student housing, R&D and cultural facilities, and to the mountains beyond 68
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Borregos stadium The new Borregos stadium will become the centerpiece of the Tec’s varsity athletics program. The multi-purpose facility will accommodate up to 15,000 spectators and be Mexico’s premier collegiate football stadium. Envisioned as a stadium in an urban park, the intimate horseshoe seating configuration opens to the south to receive the new campus pedestrian axes while creating a dynamic spatial relationship between the adjacent neighborhood and new development.
mind.body.spirit
Along the west plaza level the stadium is built into a grass berm structure that faces the practice field which provide casual seating throughout the year, with a direct connection to support facilities for competitive teams. Elevated above the new park and surrounding neighborhood, the main concourse wraps around the lower seating and offers spectacular views to both the action on the field and the local environment creating a true connection with the Tec campus.
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mind.body.spirit
the new stadium contributes to the vitality of the district
A sustainable Urban stadium
mind.body.spirit
The new Stadium is a model of sustainability, while meeting the Tec’s needs and contributing to the neighborhood
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the stadium opens up to the campus and neighborhood
cultural expansion The Luis Elizondo Centro Cultural serves the Tec community as a cultural center, but is no longer adequate to support the range of cultural activities, extracurricular interests, and performances that characterize a vibrant university with a balanced focus on Mind, Body, and Spirit.
mind.body.spirit
The new cultural center adjacent to Luis Elizondo proposed in the Master Plan will house a range of activities reflecting student interests, such as video and photography, culinary arts, arts and crafts, and will be a major contribution to the quality of student life.
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New Student Housing with reserved apartments for resident art fellows
Cafe / Restaurant Folklore Music Studios + Rehearsal Rooms Multi-Purpose Rooms Exhibit Space and Lounge 500 seat Performance Arts Auditorium
Consolidate programs that are dispersed on campus. Showcase work by emphasizing transparency along street edges Culinary arts Cafe Photography Craft + Fine Arts Administration
Luis Elizondo Cultural Center Renovation of existing facilities 77
mind.body.spirit
• • • • •
Neighborhood and Community Development The Master Plan does not approach the campus in isolation from its surroundings. It sees the whole district as an integrated learning environment, proposing targeted investment in neighborhoods to create economic, intellectual and recreational opportunities for residents and students alike. In today’s competitive economy and connected world, an institution like Monterrey Tec cannot exist in isolation from its surroundings. The health of the university is integrally linked to the health and vibrancy of the surrounding community. Monterrey Tec University is nestled within a mixed use district, surrounded by multiple distinct neighborhoods, a variety of home types, schools, several commercial corridors, neighborhood retail, and churches.
In today’s competitive economy and connected world, an institution like Monterrey Tec cannot exist in isolation from its surroundings
neighborhood+community
The Tec was one of the first developments to occupy land that was previously farmland and, over time, private development filled in the area around the Tec until today the area is fully developed. In recent years, the neighborhoods around the University have undergone a demographic shift, experiencing population loss and disinvestment. The campus master plan for Monterrey Tec considers opportunities to invest not just within its own boundaries, but in the neighborhoods beyond as well. Alongside this master plan effort, the university has undertaken for the “Distrito Tec,” the area defined by the sixteen colonias surrounding the Tec.
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Throughout the master plan process, outreach to the Distrito Tec was ongoing. A dedicated staff at the Tec has begun a process of learning about the district, meeting with members of the community, and studying potential opportunities for neighborhood improvements that the Tec can complete in collaboration with the community, the City of Monterrey, and private developers or businesses. The campus master plan identified some of these potential projects, focusing in the near term on public realm improvements.
Throughout the master plan process, outreach to the Distrito Tec was ongoing Streetscape improvements and strategies to improve mobility for community members within the Distrito have been developed, to promote safer, pedestrian-friendly streets. Additionally, parks and open spaces are a central investment for the future, with priority improvements to the Parque Tecnológico. The Distrito Tec recommendations also include community facilities and the continued investment in fostering strong social ties within the neighborhoods and between the Tec and the community.
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DISTRICT INTERVENTIONs The master plan identifies key potential projects, focusing in the near term on public realm improvements. Streetscape improvements and strategies to improve mobility for community members within the Distrito have been developed, to promote safer, pedestrian-friendly streets.
2
Additionally, parks and open spaces are a central investment for the future, with priority improvements to the Parque Tecnol贸gico. The Distrito Tec recommendations also include community facilities and the continued investment in fostering strong social ties within the neighborhoods and between the Tec and the community.
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12 6
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ecological restoration
1 Parque tecnol贸gico 2 priority streetscape improvements 3 community center / teaching lab 4 Alta vista plaza 5 narvarte community / training center 6 connectivity improvements 7 Alfonso Reyes improvements 8 Landuse transition zone 9 residential frontage improvement 10 park at escamilla 11 community resource center 12 cerro de la silla improvements 13 open space improvements
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Mobility + Streetscape Monterrey has the highest car to person ratio of all Latin America. This reliance on private transportation has led to an exaggerated emphasis on space for cars and a progressive deterioration of the city’s public realm. In the Distrito Tec, the effects of the current paradigm are a poor pedestrian experience, a lack of support for biking and other alternative modes of transportation, areas of the campus that are underutilized due to excessive surface parking lots and the encroachment of neighborhood streets as students seek informal parking spaces that are free of charge. The master plan proposes a host of initiatives to promote a cultural shift in the Distrito, emphasizing high-impact interventions that have quick implementation turnaround.
neighborhood+community
These interventions include the regeneration of key roads bolstering the Distrito’s pedestrian and biking experience, a toolkit for future investment in secondary and tertiary streets, improved management of on-street and campus parking spaces, an incentive structure to reduce car ridership and changes to Expreso Tec, the university’s shuttle system.
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Av. Junco de la Vega
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A bolstered public realm will support walking and biking in the Distrito, making it a more sustainable and desirable area for living and working
Public Spaces Parks, plazas, streets and open spaces play a significant role in a community’s sociability and well-being. Parks and plazas provide respite and a connection to nature while enabling large gatherings or events to occur. Streets do more than provide places to move cars; they are important civic spines that encourage interaction among neighbors. The Distrito Tec survey results demonstrated that the majority of social gathering takes place around community churches; however there is an opportunity to add to the opportunities for civic gathering by improving local parks and open spaces. To this end, improvement of the Parque Tecnológico, one block west of the university, is a priority.
neighborhood+community
The survey also highlighted that improving the safety and cleanliness of the streets ranks high. Future street designs have been provided that better balance cars, bikers, pedestrians, street trees and plantings, and parking needs. Streets around the university can be redesigned over time and in collaboration with the City and adjacent landowners.
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A vision for parque tecnológico The Parque Tecnológico is located within an existing mixed use neighborhood, proximate to the Tec de Monterrey, the Garza Sada corridor, and the Avenida del Estado retail strip. The park is ringed on all sides by residential blocks of varied scales, some of which house Tec de Monterrey students. The park today mirrors the neighborhood’s recent cycle of disinvestment, with minimal tree canopy, dying grass, broken sidewalks, and a lack of amenities. A campus master plan survey demonstrated that students, faculty, and staff consider the park and surrounding neighborhood streets to be unsafe. Yet, despite perceptions and recent neglect, the park has the opportunity to be an important element of neighborhood revitalization and community. In coordination with the master plan, a design process has reimagined the park as a vital center of community in the Tecnológico neighborhood, and an engine of change and symbol of reinvestment in the surrounding neighborhood. With input from the community, the park is redesigned to generate civic pride and a sense of safety and occupation. A new community and retail building will be constructed at the northern edge of the park, providing “eyes on the park” and contributing to a sense of safety. While today the park is undifferentiated with minimal programming, in the future the park will be organized into multiple zones, designed to house many different activities for people of all ages, from an improved playground to areas for yoga, active sports, and concerts, movies or plays.
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19 Ingenieros botanical garden 20 Picnic lawn 21 Reading room 22 chess / domino room 23 small dog play area 24 large dog play area 25 multi-flex sports 26 arquitectos arroyo promenade 27 existing well
10 security guard 11 cultural lawn 12 bachilleres deck 13 well/bike shelter/equip. room 14 jogging track / fitness station 15 food trucks 16 farmers market 17 Yoga 18 sports lawn
1 sculpture 2 restaurant / community center 3 the grove / community activities 4 the gallery promenade 5 event lawn / croquet tournament 6 entrance / exit parking garage 7 children’s park 8 agronomos lane seating 9 bus / shuttle shelter
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community Spaces The master plan identifies strategic investment in community facilities in the Distrito. These facilities will support the Tec’s vision for engagement, providing spaces for students to participate in educational and job training initiatives. Community facilities will also play a critical role in promoting a grassroots neighborhood movement that will foster stewardship of public amenities in the district, and greater involvement with local authorities.
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community development Directly related to community spaces is the Tec’s continued investment in outreach and community building. Some of the work done to date includes the organization of key stakeholders in the district, and also direct investment in low income communities such as Alfonso Reyes and Cerro de la Campana.
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existing
integrated interventions in community facilities and development, and an improved public realm will transform the Distrito into a model for sustainability and livability 90
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Escamilla CAMPUS NORTE
ESTADIO
Research CLUSTER
MIXED Use DISTRICT
Core Campus
Urban Design Guidelines
implementation
A tool to preserve the master plan vision over time Provided as a comprehensive and separate volume to this master plan report, urban design guidelines inform the design of new buildings in the district, as well as key public spaces and roads. Guidelines are intended to provide flexible yet clear direction. The Tec, developers, investors and the city should refer to them as a tool in determining appropriate design and program direction, in understanding how each parcel relates to surrounding parcels and the master plan as a whole, in providing parameters for architectural and public realm design, and as a safeguard against development that undermines the vision and principles set forward in the Master Plan. 92
PARCEL LINE
Setback Min. 20m above 25m height
PARCEL LINE
Min. 3m setback at ground and first level creates shaded arcade, allowing active uses to spill out to the pedestrian spine.
Setback Min. 10m above 15m height
Active programs shall be distributed along pedestrian spine, such as F+B, lobby zones, conferences spaces, common areas etc.
PEDESTRIAN SPINE
PARCEL LINE
ROW 21m
Upper level setback promotes a pedestrian friendly scale of development
Setback Min. 5m
Min. 3m setback at ground and first level creates shaded arcade, allowing active uses to spill out towards REC field
Sample of public reALM Guidelines Key urban design principles are diagrammed and explained, becoming an effective tool for the university, the city and private developers to create a vibrant public realm.
REC Field
above 12m height
Transition Area
Travel lanes
Bike
Sidewalk
Varies
7m
2.5m
6m
Research and Development
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implementation
Public plaza creates a transition between R+D and flexible recreation fields
parcel rc1, rc2, rc-ic
retail frontages shall maximize access and transparency towards plaza
cedes Tower
rc-cedes
Plaza
Plaza
cedes Tower
rc-cedes
rch1 1 level
rch1 rc2
rc2
2 levels
rc1
rc1
easement
pedestrian spine
pedestrian spine
2 levels
provide access to shared parking garage (to be used by innovation center visitors)
existing pedestrian tunnel
rc-ic
emphasize connection through transparency of materials (connection may be restricted)
rc-ic
Biotec
Biotec retail frontages shall maximize access and transparency towards plaza
Plaza
Plaza innovation center to maximize transparency and ground level connectivity
0
concept landuse
50m
20
10
pedestrian connectivity
vehicular access
private pedestrian connection
note: service zones and loading docks to be incorporated to underground parking. no service zones permitted at ground level.
access to underground parking and service zone
lobby zone residential lobby zone
interior connectivity with restricted access
retail frontage
ramps shall be interior to the parcel
research cluster
research & development
retail
retail frontage to engage with public realm
active uses
underground parking zone
no vehicular access points less than 10m from street corners
ground level program in this zone to be transparent and engaging with public realm. program uses include, but are not limited to retail, f+B, lobby zones, conference spaces, common areas etc.
no surface parking permitted
no parking zone
pedestrian drop off zone
landscape zone
no underground or surface parking permitted
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research cluster
vehicular access + parking
parcel rc1 max. 25m height
sustainability requirement - Building towers and mid level massing shall prioritize n-s orientation to reduce solar heat gain.
max. 60m height
building height envelope
building height envelope facades along pedestrian spine shall engage with the public realm through transparency and massing articulation
max. 60m height
potential location of green roof
potential location of green roof
max. 25m height min. 20m setback above 25m height along pedestrian spine
2 3
underground parking access
setback above 15m height: min. 5m podium max. 15m height
max. 25m height max. 2floors 2
active programs along av. eugenio garza sada, such as f+B, lobby zones, conferences spaces, common areas etc.
max. 2floors 1
setback retail/f+B frontage to maximize access and transparency to entry plaza.
1
active programs along pedestrian spine, such as f+B, lobby zones, conferences spaces, common areas etc.
northeast view parcel line
easement provides pedestrian connection av. eugenio garza sada
underground parking access
1
lower level setback: min 3m
2
along av. eugenio garza sada, setback above 15m height: min. 5m
3
along pedestrian spine, setback above 25m height: min. 20m
sustainability requirement - Building towers and mid level massing shall prioritize n-s orientation to reduce solar heat gain.
easement
lower level setback max. 3m
southwest view retail frontage facing entry plaza. massing shall step down towards corner with av. francisco roel
major entry & drop-off zones retail
W
E
active uses
research & development
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49
implementation
Sample of parcel Guidelines Parcel level guidelines provide detailed yet flexible direction for future development. Plan and 3D diagrams define and illustrate key urban design principles, as well as setbacks, maximum
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building heights, density metrics, viewsheds, elements of access and connectivity, parking and critical relationships between parcels and the public realm.
research cluster
research cluster
roof garden
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1 Roundabout Improvement 2 Plaza Av. del Estado y Garza Sada 3 Del Estado Improvements 4 Parque Tec Improvements 5 Luis Elizondo Improvements 6 La Campana (Kinder) off map 7 Cerro de la Silla Improvements 8 Covarrubias Corridor Improvements
9 Junco de la Vega Improvements 10 Junco de la Vega 2 Improvements 11 Jesús Cantú Leal Improvements 12 Dover Street Improvements 13 Rio Nazas Improvements 14 Ciclovias 1 15 La Campana (Centro Comunitario 1) off map 16 La Campana (Centro Deportivo) off map
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Community Projects Improvement to major streets is consequently the highest priority, to encourage the development of walkable neighborhoods, with strong connectivity between different parts of the Distrito. This requires well-proportioned and well-maintained sidewalks, tree planting and maintenance to provide shade and comfort, attractive lighting, management of parking and curb cuts, appropriate sizing of lanes, and the provision of bike lanes. This investment in “complete streets” is expected to improve security, to encourage property ownership and occupancy, and to attract investment in redevelopment and
the development of small businesses in the Distrito. In parallel with this investment, the Tec will aid in the strategic acquisition and improvement of properties suitable for faculty housing or other uses that will aid in the regeneration of the Distrito. Connectivity between the Tec campus and the Distrito is also an important priority. A particular area of concern is the roundabout that connects the historic main entrance of the campus by the Rectoria to the Avenida del Estado. Plans to improve the pedestrian experience of the roundabout will encourage pedestrian traffic across Garza Sada and into the potentially strong retail district of Avenida del Estado. To make this connection fully effective, the improvement of the plaza at the Garza Sada end of Avenida del Estado by the roundabout has been established as an immediate priority. 95
implementation
Community projects focus on areas that have the broadest impact, touching every member of the community, improving the quality of life for residents and the business environment, while encouraging investment.
Acknowledgments Tecnol贸gico de Monterrey
Sasaki Associates
The team would like to thank IMPLANc, in particular Gabriel Todd and Alejandro Mart铆nez Leal, for providing invaluable mapping resources of the city of Monterrey 96
In Memoriam
regeneraci贸n This Master Plan prepared by Sasaki Associates and Philip Parsons, in association Mobility in Chain, is the product of an intensive eight month collaboration with Tec leadership, faculty and staff. It outlines a vision for the regeneration of the campus and district around it, creating a seamless and engaging learning environment that fosters innovation and collaboration. The plan hopes to serve as a guide and an inspiration for the future of the Tec, as it consolidates its role locally and nationally in the coming years, becoming increasingly a catalyst for economic and social development, and contributing to the larger society.