As Mexico City’s art week kicks off, we have chosen a few significant buildings from a list of noteworthy architecture developed with local design studio Davidpompa to celebrate the week.
Davidpompa and local restaurant Contramar have collaborated on an exhibition of design objects and food items called Woven Kitchen for Mexico City art week, a collection of events oriented around the Zona Maco art fair.
The studio has issued a guide for the city in collaboration with Dezeen, focusing on noteworthy architecture throughout the city, organised by the neighbourhood.
The buildings included range from a large neoclassical building in the city’s core built in the 1930s to the recent David Chipperfield Architects and TAAU-designed Museo Jumex.
We’ve also rounded up a series of design events throughout the city here.
Read on for eight buildings worth seeing in Mexico City.
Palacio de Bellas Artes, Centro, by Adamo Boari and Federico Mariscal
Located on the edge of Mexico City’s Alameda Central, the Palacio de Bellas Artes hosts public programming and stands as a prominent structure at the centre of the city.
The building was completed in 1934 after delays during the Mexican Revolution, replacing the former Gran Teatro Nacional on the same site.
UNAM Ciudad Universitaria, Pedregal, by Enrique del Moral and Mario Pani
Completed in 1954 and declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 2007, Ciudad Universitaria encompasses the main campus of the National Autonomous University of Mexico (UNAM) on a sprawling site that also contains a stadium, the national library and museums.
The campus was master-planned by Mexican architects Enrique del Moral and Mario Pani and is well known for its Central Library building covered in mosaics by local architect Juan O’Gorman
Find out more about the UNAM Ciudad Universitaria ›
Museo Jumex, Granada, by David Chipperfield Architects and TAAU
Home to one of the largest modern art collections in Latin America, Museo Jumex was completed by David Chipperfield Architects and local studio TAAU in 2013.
The building features a distinct sawtooth roof and sits just across from the anvil-shaped Museo Soumaya by FR-EE Architects.
Find out more about Mueso Jumex ›
Biblioteca Vasconcelos, Tlatelolco, by Alberto Kalach and Juan Palomar
Biblioteca Vasconcelos, or Megabiblioteca, was opened in 2006 and quickly became one of the more well-known projects in Mexico City.
The building was designed by local architects Alberto Kalach and Juan Palomar and contains an expansive interior of steel bookshelves.
Casa Gilardi, San Miguel Chapultepec, by Luis Barragán
Mexican architect Luis Barragán designed a number of residences around Mexico City, including the La Cuadra estate, and is revered for his colourful modern architecture.
Design video channel Nowness captured Casa Gilardi on film in 2016, the last project the architect oversaw in its entirety before his passing in 1988.
Find out more about Casa Gilardi
Centro Nacional de Las Artes, Coyoacán, by Legorreta Arquitectos
Completed in 1994 and masterplanned by Legorreta Arquitectos, Centro Nacional de Las Artes (CENART) is comprised of a number of arts and cultural buildings.
Architects such as Teodoro González de León also worked on the campus, which was designed to explore models of education and create a centralised, collaborative space for artistic disciplines such as dance, fine arts, music and more.
Palacio de los Deportes, Iztapalapa, by Félix Candela
Completed in 1968, the Palacio de los Deportes was created to host basketball events during the Mexico City Olympic Games of the same year.
Its spiked roof is made of copper-clad plywood sheets and supported on a tubular aluminium frame resting on steel arches.
Find out more about the Palacio de los Deportes ›
Iglesia San Josemaria Escriva, Santa Fe, by Javier Sordo Madaleno
Mexican architect Javier Sordo Madaleno completed Iglesia San Josemaria Escriva in 2008.
The wedge-shaped, curving building was dedicated to Catholic priest Josémaria Escrivá Balaguer and was designed to resemble a fish, one of the most prominent Christian symbols.
