Architects: FR-EE / Fernando Romero Enterprise
Location: Miguel de Cervantes Saavedra 303, Ampliación Granada, Miguel Hidalgo, 11529 Mexico City, Federal District, Mexico
Architect In Charge: Fernando Romero, Mauricio Ceballos
Area: 17000.0 sqm
Year: 2011
Photographs: Rafael Gamo, Adam Weisman, Raul Soria
From the architect. FREE’s design for the 17,000 m2/180,000 ft2 Soumaya Museum pays tribute to its eclectic art collection of nearly 70 000
objects from 15th to mid20th century, including the world’s largest private collection of Auguste Rodin sculptures. The 150 feet tall Soumaya
Museum rises at the heart of the new real estate development Plaza Carso in Polanco, a vibrant and cosmopolitan neighborhood in Mexico City.
The museum’s distinct shape and strong presence, creates an identity for the 1940ies exindustrial area and serves as a catalyst for further cultural
development, including a theatre by Anton Garcia-Abril and the contemporary Jumex art museum by David Chipperfield.
The surrounding public space is activated through a grand staircase leading to the museum entrance, which serves as
an informal plaza for the visitors and locals from the adjacent Carso complex. A skin of 16 000 hexagonal tiles of
mirrored steel, references the traditional colonial ceramictiled building facades and gives the museum a diverse
appearance depending on the weather and the viewer’s vantage point, while optimizing the preservation and
durability of the entire building.
