Material Intimacy in Chapultepec Park, CDMX

The primary objective of the project is to create spaces new to Chapultepec Park, ones that are both intimate and open, reflective and engaging. This is done through exploring form and materiality through the lens of Mexico’s indigenous practices, old and new. Utilizing materials native to Mexico and common among past indigenous building practices, two structures are formed.

The first structure is formed out of rammed earth. The sole entrance leads to a museum space exhibiting the history of Mexico’s indigenous culture and spiritual practices through artwork. Moving through the exhibit and into a narrow passageway, visitors are then welcomed into an expansive, light-filled room, guided by a complexity of adobe walls.

The second structure is an 3D printed adobe maze, completed with a garden in the center. The walls of the maze rise and fall, giving the individual an opportunity to reflect upon oneself within the tall walls and reflect on the beauty of their natural surroundings within the shorter walls. The maze allows the individual to wander aimlessly, with the possibility of endless new findings.

Erected through a coalescence of both new and old building practices, the structures provide a space for visitors of Chapultepec Park to engage with the site on all scales, promoting reflection within oneself, as well as with-