CREATIVITY AT ITS BEST

INFRA KI CLASS YAAD AA GAYI....

THE EARTHSCRAPER

The Earthscraper, designed by BNKR Arquitectura, is the Skyscraper’s antagonist in the historic urban landscape of Mexico City where the latter is condemned and the preservation of the built environment is the paramount ambition. It preserves the iconic presence of the city square and the existing hierarchy of the buildings that surround it. More images and architects’ description after the break.

 The Historic Center of Mexico City is composed of different layers of cities superimposed on top of each other. When the Aztecs first came into the Valley of Mexico they built their pyramids on the lake they found there. When a new and bigger pyramid was conceived and the Aztec Empire grew in size and power, they did not search for a new site, they just built on it and around the existing one. In this manner, the pyramids are composed of different layers of historical periods.

 When the Spanish arrived in America and ultimately conquered the Aztecs, they erected their Christian temples atop their pyramids. Eventually their whole colonial city was built on top of the Aztec one. In the 20th century, many colonial buildings were demolished and modern structures raised on the existing historic foundations. So in a way, Mexico City is like a massive layered cake: a modern metropolis built on the foundations of a colonial city that was erected on top of the ancient pyramids that were constructed on the lake.

The main square of Mexico City, known as the “Zocalo”, is 57,600 m2 (240m x 240m), making it one of the largest in the world. It is bordered by the Cathedral, the National Palace and the City Government buildings. A flagpole stands at its center with an enormous Mexican flag ceremoniously raised and lowered each day. This proved as the ideal site for the Earthscraper: an inverted skyscraper that digs down through the layers of cities to uncover our roots.

 Architect: BNKR Arquitectura
Location: Mexico City, Mexico
Partners: Esteban Suárez (Founding Partner), Sebastián Suárez
Project Leader: Arief Budiman
Project Team: Arief Budiman, Diego Eumir, Guillermo Bastian, Adrian Aguilar
Collaborators: Jorge Arteaga, Zaida Montañana, Santiago Becerra
Area: 775,000 m2
Status: Competition
Photography: Sebastian Suárez

The Newest Numbers in ‘Commuter Pain’ Worldwide

 We know traffic is bad, and it’s getting worse. But just how much do people hate their commutes around the world?

IBM did a survey of 8,042 commuters in 20 cities on six continents. What they found was a whole lot of unhappiness: worldwide, drivers report more stress and frustration related to commuting — though funny enough, many cities showed big jumps in respondents who said roadway traffic has improved either “somewhat” or “substantially” in the past three years. And they’re not wrong – many of the cities, including Bangalore, Mexico City, Beijing and New Delhi, have made huge investments to reduce road congestion, and they appear to have lessened some of the mess.

 There was some illuminating news about public transit: Forty one percent of commuters globally said improved public transportation would help reduce stress.

 And that’s in part out of desperation — 86% of respondents in Beijing, 87% in Shenzhen, 70% in New Delhi and 61% in Nairobi said traffic was a key inhibitor to their work or school performance. Meanwhile 67% of drivers in Mexico City, 63% in Shenzhen and New Delhi and 61% in Beijing said they’d decided against a car trip in the last month due to anticipated traffic.Here’s a rundown of the full “Commuter Pain Index”:

IF THE WORLD LIVED IN A SINGLE CITY......