Mario Cardenas - Architecture Portfolio

SITE ANALYSIS
CONCEPT
Winter wind torrent (N)
Distrito Tec Projects
Summer wind torrent (SE)
Pedestrian Crossing
Located in Junco de la Vega Avenue, Vita Theater rises as a new culture and art cluster
that enriches the community experience by giving home to artists and creating
a safe environment for art and culture display.
N
E
Direction from which the building
S
receives more punishment during
afternoon (recommended to use
vertical louvers to mitigate sun
W
Greatest Sun exposure from South
(recommended using horizontal louvers
or elements to mitigate the exposure)
Lineal Park
Vertical Pavilions protect the
theater form Sun exposure
Tec de Monterrey
Critical crossing point
Image taken from Google Earth
Tec de Monterrey has been a promoter of this district by being a key element in the
restoration and re-organization of the community, as part of its plan to grow and expand,
it proposes the creation of a new cultural center that will be the heart of arts of
the institute. Following the idea of integrating the community the complex offers both
indoor and outdoor spaces from art display that are open to both students and member
of the community.
Total mass
Since the project was very demanding, considering
that it would include a theater, with all the
spaces required, classrooms for the Art and Culture
program and Restaurants, it was needed to
know the amount of space required to host every
activity. By adding up the total amount of m 2 we
came up with this volume.
Since this project was aimed for Distrito Tec and was
taking place in a very important location, observing
the area and the population that circulate in that area
was very important.
By analyzing how people move through the area, displacement
patterns were drawn.
After identifying the most used routes
and where they meet, a convergence
point came out as a result, from which
our project would start take form, not
just to respect the previous customs, but
to enhance the experience in the space.
The project is divided into 4 volumes that each play an important role in hosting a wide
variety of activities inviting all types of art to be part of the culture scene and creating
an enriching environment.
In addition to the architectonic design of the project, MEP installation was also included
and worked during every phase to make sure the building didn’t only had the necessary
space to function but also was well equipped for the task, by working close with expert
companies -TTQ and BAUEN- every aspect from the structure to MEP was carefully
designed.
Team Members:
José Mario Cárdenas Calderón
Barbara Villarreal
Marcela Torres
Mayte iris
2
3
4
1
As a result of the analysis, three tower were added to host other
programs, and all of them directed to the center to emphasize the
importance of the core of the project. Volume 1 represents the theater,
with all dressing room, storages and rehearsal rooms. Volume
2 represents Art and Culture tower, hosting all type of classes (painting,
dancing, chorus, and the administration). Volume 3 represents
the gallery and a experimental theater for 400 people. Volume 4 represents
the restaurant tower and the cooking workshop.
Amphitheater
2
3
4
1
Grandstand
After arranging the buildings accordingly to the purpose of respecting the former use
of the space, they had to be unify by an element. By adding 3 rings the tower become
a vertical pavilion and the classrooms turned into galleries showcasing the activities
they host as pure expression of a diversified art. To keep the rings from becoming
monotonous in their function, the middle ring became a grandstand, and core of the
project evolved to an amphitheater, inviting every member of the community to not
just walk by as they used to, but to stay and become an actor of their own experience.