Ground broke recently for the Foro Boca concert hall in the Mexican city of Veracruz. The design, by Mexican practice Rojkind Arquitectos, resembles a pile of neatly placed polygonal blocks jutting into the Gulf of Mexico.
According to Architizer, the building is “conceived as a formal extension to the breakwater that extends into the Gulf of Mexico with large concrete cubes reminiscent of riprap.”
The concert hall, which will be the home base of the Boca del Rio Philharmonic Orchestra, is being built in a neighborhood that has deteriorated. Thus the hall is part of a wider regeneration project for Boca del Rio.
The same way Frank Gehry’s Guggenheim has put Bilbao on the map, architect Michel Rojkind hopes his design will be “an urban detonator capable of inciting modernity in the area.”
Classical, traditional, and popular music will be performed in this concert hall of 850 seats. An additional 150-seat rehearsal hall will be a venue for theater and contemporary dance.
To make the concert hall’s area a hub for social and public activity, a paved plaza extending alongside the concert hall and down the breakwater provides more informal performance space. Integrated into the building is a cafeteria, restaurant, and a bar with a large terrace overlooking the Jamapa river and the Atlantic Ocean.
Related Stories
Cultural Facilities | Jul 14, 2015
Massive exhibition space in Inner Mongolia replicates steppe landscape
To mimic the Central Asian steppe landscape of the Chinese province Inner Mongolia, Kuanlu Architects proposed the construction of an exhibition plaza that can be walked on.
Cultural Facilities | Jul 13, 2015
German architect proposes construction of mountain near Berlin
The architect wants to create the world’s largest man-made mountain, at 3,280 feet.
Cultural Facilities | Jul 9, 2015
Gehry's Eisenhower Memorial plan gets OK from D.C. planning commission
Despite the thumbs up, disputes over costs may keep the $142 million work from ever being built.
Smart Buildings | Jul 9, 2015
St. Petersburg Pier’s dramatic makeover gets green light from city officials
The Pier Park will be a platform for a multitude of smaller and more flexible programs and experiences for tourists and the local community.
Museums | Jun 28, 2015
Manhattan's New Museum debuts first museum-led incubator space
Part studio, part shared workplace, part lab, and part professional development program, NEW INC connects design with technology, the arts with the market, students with seasoned practitioners, and the museum with the world.
Museums | Jun 23, 2015
Moreau Kusunoki's 'art in the city' scheme wins Guggenheim Helsinki design competition
The firm’s design concept makes use of the museum’s site, turning it into a bustling, well-connected waterfront hub.
Cultural Facilities | Jun 10, 2015
Artists turn oil tankers into architecture
Four Dutch artists propose transforming tankers into monuments with mixed-use space.
Cultural Facilities | Jun 5, 2015
Chicago’s 606 elevated park opens
The 2.7-mile stretch repurposes an abandoned elevated train track that snakes through Humboldt Park and Bucktown.
Cultural Facilities | Jun 2, 2015
Snøhetta and Dialog to revitalize Willamette Falls area in Oregon
As part of the plan, an abandoned paper mill will be repurposed, while landscaping and running trails will be added.
BIM and Information Technology | May 27, 2015
4 projects honored with AIA TAP Innovation Awards for excellence in BIM and project delivery
Morphosis Architects' Emerson College building in Los Angeles and the University of Delaware’s ISE Lab are among the projects honored by AIA for their use of BIM/VDC tools.
