Sea of Cortez Research Center. Mazatlán Aquarium on the shores of Pacific Ocean by Tatiana Bilbao
23/09/2023.
[Mazatlán - Sinaloa] México
metalocus, JOSÉ JUAN BARBA
metalocus, JOSÉ JUAN BARBA
After the crisis of 1929 and the completion of the main building of Rockefeller Center in New York in 1932, Diego Rivera was commissioned to create a mural in the entrance hall. The secondary themes of his work "Man at the Crossroads" would mean that it was not finished and was dismantled after failing to reach an agreement with John D. Rockefeller Jr. in February 1934. The Mexican painter's anger was monumental but he was lucky enough to be able to reproduce it in a large mural in the Palace of Fine Arts in Mexico City, where it can still be visited today and is better known as "The Controlling Man of the universe."
The mural shows a man in the center controlling a large machine from which four beams of energy come out that seem to control the different scales of the cosmos, from the stars to the molecules of living beings, which serve to organize the themes that marked the future of the 20th century in politics, science, class struggles or wars. The work served as a reference when Mexican architect Tatiana Bilbao received the commission from hotelier Ernesto Coppel Kelly to build an aquarium in the tourist city of Mazatlán, on the shores of the Sea of Cortez in the state of Sinaloa in northern Mexico.
The project is included within the regeneration program of the entire Mazatlán Central Park (30.6 ha), in which Tatiana Bilbao has been collaborating for a couple of years, to show a set of marine and terrestrial ecosystems of the Sea of Cortez and its shores.
The mural shows a man in the center controlling a large machine from which four beams of energy come out that seem to control the different scales of the cosmos, from the stars to the molecules of living beings, which serve to organize the themes that marked the future of the 20th century in politics, science, class struggles or wars. The work served as a reference when Mexican architect Tatiana Bilbao received the commission from hotelier Ernesto Coppel Kelly to build an aquarium in the tourist city of Mazatlán, on the shores of the Sea of Cortez in the state of Sinaloa in northern Mexico.
The project is included within the regeneration program of the entire Mazatlán Central Park (30.6 ha), in which Tatiana Bilbao has been collaborating for a couple of years, to show a set of marine and terrestrial ecosystems of the Sea of Cortez and its shores.
Aquarium on the shores of the Sea of Cortez by Tatiana Bilbao. Photograph by Tonatiuh Armenta
Aquarium on the shores of the Sea of Cortez by Tatiana Bilbao. Imagen courtesy of Acuario Mazatlán.
Aquarium on the shores of the Sea of Cortez by Tatiana Bilbao. Imagen courtesy of Acuario Mazatlán.
Aquarium on the shores of the Sea of Cortez by Tatiana Bilbao. Photograph by Christian Belmont
Aquarium on the shores of the Sea of Cortez by Tatiana Bilbao. Photograph by Iwan Baan
Aquarium on the shores of the Sea of Cortez by Tatiana Bilbao. Courtesy of Tatiana Bilbao estudio.
Aquarium on the shores of the Sea of Cortez by Tatiana Bilbao. Imagen courtesy of Acuario Mazatlán.
Aquarium on the shores of the Sea of Cortez by Tatiana Bilbao. Imagen courtesy of Acuario Mazatlán.
Aquarium on the shores of the Sea of Cortez by Tatiana Bilbao. Photograph by Iwan Baan
Aquarium on the shores of the Sea of Cortez by Tatiana Bilbao. Photograph by Iwan Baan
Aquarium on the shores of the Sea of Cortez by Tatiana Bilbao. Photograph by Tonatiuh Armenta
Aquarium on the shores of the Sea of Cortez by Tatiana Bilbao. Photograph by Tonatiuh Armenta
Aquarium on the shores of the Sea of Cortez by Tatiana Bilbao. Photograph by Tonatiuh Armenta
Aquarium on the shores of the Sea of Cortez by Tatiana Bilbao. Photograph by Tonatiuh Armenta
Aquarium on the shores of the Sea of Cortez by Tatiana Bilbao. Photograph by Tonatiuh Armenta
Aquarium on the shores of the Sea of Cortez by Tatiana Bilbao. Photograph by Tonatiuh Armenta
Aquarium on the shores of the Sea of Cortez by Tatiana Bilbao. Imagen courtesy of Acuario Mazatlán.
Ground floor plan. Aquarium on the shores of the Sea of Cortez by Tatiana Bilbao.
1 level floor plan. Aquarium on the shores of the Sea of Cortez by Tatiana Bilbao.
2 level floor plan. Aquarium on the shores of the Sea of Cortez by Tatiana Bilbao.
3 level floor plan. Aquarium on the shores of the Sea of Cortez by Tatiana Bilbao.
Roof level floor plan. Aquarium on the shores of the Sea of Cortez by Tatiana Bilbao.
Sections. Aquarium on the shores of the Sea of Cortez by Tatiana Bilbao.
Sections. Aquarium on the shores of the Sea of Cortez by Tatiana Bilbao.
Model. Aquarium on the shores of the Sea of Cortez by Tatiana Bilbao.
Model. Aquarium on the shores of the Sea of Cortez by Tatiana Bilbao.
Rendering. Aquarium on the shores of the Sea of Cortez by Tatiana Bilbao.
Rendering. Aquarium on the shores of the Sea of Cortez by Tatiana Bilbao.
Skecth floor plan. Aquarium on the shores of the Sea of Cortez by Tatiana Bilbao.
Skecth sections. Aquarium on the shores of the Sea of Cortez by Tatiana Bilbao.
Skecth sections. Aquarium on the shores of the Sea of Cortez by Tatiana Bilbao.
Collage. Aquarium on the shores of the Sea of Cortez by Tatiana Bilbao.
Model. Aquarium on the shores of the Sea of Cortez by Tatiana Bilbao.
Diagram. Aquarium on the shores of the Sea of Cortez by Tatiana Bilbao.
Collage. Aquarium on the shores of the Sea of Cortez by Tatiana Bilbao.
Collage. Aquarium on the shores of the Sea of Cortez by Tatiana Bilbao.
Collage. Aquarium on the shores of the Sea of Cortez by Tatiana Bilbao.
Collage. Aquarium on the shores of the Sea of Cortez by Tatiana Bilbao.
Collage. Aquarium on the shores of the Sea of Cortez by Tatiana Bilbao.
Collage. Aquarium on the shores of the Sea of Cortez by Tatiana Bilbao.
Tatiana Bilbao's project was designed as the southern closure of the park, whose permeable landscape, organized around a restored retention lagoon, allows the cycles of rain and drought to be recognized in the rise and fall of its water levels according to the seasons.
The aquarium seeks to immerse the visitor in the natural world through the route of the building from the upper level to the lower plaza in three large habitats (land, coast, and sea), developing in parallel a series of laboratories that take advantage of the tanks and their inhabitants. to investigate and learn more about marine ecosystems. The Center is orthogonal, rational, functional, and flexible, with exposed concrete walls up to 22.5 meters high arranged on an area of 13,000 square meters, as if it were a painting by Piet Mondrian.
A scheme that, despite its impressive scale, allows spaces, structure, envelope, facilities, and integration with the environment to be resolved in a unitary and simultaneous way, creating something similar to the remains of an archaeological site that Bilbao describes as "a ruin that we have occupied."
The aquarium seeks to immerse the visitor in the natural world through the route of the building from the upper level to the lower plaza in three large habitats (land, coast, and sea), developing in parallel a series of laboratories that take advantage of the tanks and their inhabitants. to investigate and learn more about marine ecosystems. The Center is orthogonal, rational, functional, and flexible, with exposed concrete walls up to 22.5 meters high arranged on an area of 13,000 square meters, as if it were a painting by Piet Mondrian.
A scheme that, despite its impressive scale, allows spaces, structure, envelope, facilities, and integration with the environment to be resolved in a unitary and simultaneous way, creating something similar to the remains of an archaeological site that Bilbao describes as "a ruin that we have occupied."
Aquarium on the shores of the Sea of Cortez by Tatiana Bilbao. Imagen courtesy of Acuario Mazatlán.
The project has three levels. The ground floor, where the different reception and facilities spaces are located, the first floor, where we find the access plaza, and the second floor, with the exhibition support area and changing rooms for the staff. Both the surroundings of the building and its interior have growing nature, seeking contact between interior and exterior.
However, given the high entry prices for local residents, the building still has a long way to go to become an integrated piece in the social fabric of the city and be just an attraction for wealthy tourists. On the other hand, the alleged flexibility proposed in the project seems to clash with the necessary mobility controls and relationships with the stressed animals inside.
Aquarium on the shores of the Sea of Cortez by Tatiana Bilbao. Imagen courtesy of Acuario Mazatlán.
Project description by Tatiana Bilbao
The project is part of the regeneration program for the Mazatlan Central Park. The intention is to complement the public, natural, and cultural areas of great social interest, marked by the quality and uniqueness of the overall intervention. The project will offer a complete experience of the marine ecosystems of the Sea of Cortez, as well as the terrestrial ecosystems of its shores.
The proposed building is the place where nature, both marine and terrestrial, meets architecture and the world of human beings. Nature lives and grows around and inside the building, giving the project identity, a sense of belonging to the place, and making the experience unique and complete. As a trigger for the space, an orthogonal, rational, functional, and flexible structure is proposed, with identity and belonging to the place where it is implanted. It simultaneously solves spaces, structures, envelopes, installations, and integration with the environment. Programmatic, functional, and service walls and installations extend irregularly into the surroundings, integrating with the surrounding landscape and providing structural stability to the building. The project seeks to increase the surface area of contact between the interior and exterior, blurring the boundaries between them and allowing for greater interaction.
Aquarium on the shores of the Sea of Cortez by Tatiana Bilbao. Imagen courtesy of Acuario Mazatlán.
The intention of the project is to immerse the visitor in the natural world through the journey of the extended exterior public space from the surroundings to the top of the building, and then descend to the central public access plaza from where visitors will begin their exhibition journey. From this plaza, visitors can access each of the exhibition ecosystems, open sea, coasts, land, and forest, as well as educational programs such as an auditorium and public laboratory. The exhibition experience can begin with any of the ecosystems.
The visitor can follow the exhibition continuously and flexibly, as the sequence of spaces communicates the programs continuously and at the same time transversely and in continuous contact with the exterior natural environment.
The project is developed on three levels. The first, is at the ground floor level, where the administrative and staff areas, reception of school groups, part of the public services, and a large part of the marine life conservation and support facilities, as well as centralized general facilities, are located. On the next level, the first floor, the general access plaza, exhibition, and public services are located. Above the previous level, in only one sector of the floor, is the area of support and attention to the large tanks of the exhibition, with complementary programs of changing rooms, toilets, and equipment for the maintenance personnel of the tanks and visitors for immersion in the oceanic tank. On this floor are the remaining facilities and equipment for marine life support.
More information
Architects
Tatiana Bilbao Estudio. Architect.- Tatiana Bilbao.
Associate Architects.- Catia Bilbao, Juan Pablo Benlliure, Alba Cortés, Mariano Castillo, Soledad Rodríguez.
Project Director.- Udayan Mazumdar, Alba Cortés.
Project Manager.- Alba Cortés.
Associate Architects.- Catia Bilbao, Juan Pablo Benlliure, Alba Cortés, Mariano Castillo, Soledad Rodríguez.
Project Director.- Udayan Mazumdar, Alba Cortés.
Project Manager.- Alba Cortés.
Project team
Sofía Betancourt, Simona Solórzano, Gonzalo Mauleón, Mónica Lamela, Pavel Manzano, Steven Beltrán, Vania Aldonza Torres, Christian Belmont, Francisco Lozano, Octavio Herrejón, Pedro Gaxiola, Emma Woodward, Vittoria Di Giunta, Andrea Celso, Daniela Oria, Renata de Miguel, Fernanda Tovar, Patricio Tejedo, Mariana Martins, Elsa Ponce, María Escudero, Miriam Hernández, Kerstin Röck, Helene Schauer, Brice Franquesa, Hyeree Kwak, Morgan Tyson, Ayesha S. Ghosh, Carlos Baeza.
Collaborators
Calculation of structures.- SENER.
Life support.- TJP, MAT.
Lighting.- Lightchitects Studio.
Landscaping.- Landscape Workshop Environment.
Construction Director.- Soledad Rodríguez.
Construction Manager.- José Luis Duran.
Construction Team.- Vania Aldonza Torres, Christian Belmont, Guillermo Barrera, Cinthya González.
Model Manager.- Isaac Monterrosa.
Model team.- Víctor Castañeda, Ángela Silva, Verónica Nazar, Emerson Carmona, Patricia Morales, María Padrón, Io Plouin, Julio Montesinos, Paulo Rodríguez, Eliana López, Andrés Millán.
Collaborators.- Lichen, Space House, Ocean Wise, Guillermo Roel.
Life support.- TJP, MAT.
Lighting.- Lightchitects Studio.
Landscaping.- Landscape Workshop Environment.
Construction Director.- Soledad Rodríguez.
Construction Manager.- José Luis Duran.
Construction Team.- Vania Aldonza Torres, Christian Belmont, Guillermo Barrera, Cinthya González.
Model Manager.- Isaac Monterrosa.
Model team.- Víctor Castañeda, Ángela Silva, Verónica Nazar, Emerson Carmona, Patricia Morales, María Padrón, Io Plouin, Julio Montesinos, Paulo Rodríguez, Eliana López, Andrés Millán.
Collaborators.- Lichen, Space House, Ocean Wise, Guillermo Roel.
Client
Area
13,000 m².
Dates
Project.- 2017 – 2019.
Construction.- 2019 – May 2023.
Construction.- 2019 – May 2023.
Location
Av. de los Deportes 111, Tellería, 82017 Mazatlán, Sinaloa, Mexico.
Photography
Iwan Baan, Christian Belmont and Tonatiuh Armenta.
TATIANA BILBAO
Tatiana Bilbao (Mexico City, 1972). Graduated from Architecture and Urbanism at Universidad Iberoamericana in 1996, in 1998 she won honorable mention for her career and also appreciation for the best thesis of the year. Advisor for Urban Projects at the Urban Housing and Development Department of Mexico City in 1998-99. As advisor for the government, Tatiana was member of the urban council of the city.
In 1999 co-founds LCM S.C. In 2004 starts Tatiana Bilbao S.C. with projects in China, Spain, France and Mexico. Also in 2004 founds MXDF along with architects Derek Dellekamp, Arturo Ortiz and Michel Rojkind. MXDF is an urban research center, attending the production of space, its occupation, its defense and control in Mexico City.
In 2005 becomes design professor at Universidad Iberoamericana. Awarded with the Design Vanguard for one of the top 10 emerging firms of the year in 2007 by Architecture Record. Visiting professor at Andres Bello University in Santiago de Chile in Autumn 2008. Named as Emerging Voice by the Architecture League of NY in 2009.
In 2010 two partners joined David Vaner and Catia Bilbao. In December 2010 three projects where acquired by the Centre George Pompidou in Paris, France to be part of their Architectural Permanent Collection. Critics in universities such as Techknik Munich, MIT, UPenn, ETH etc. Spring semester 2013 she is visiting professor at FH Düsseldorf, Germany.
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