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
| Jul 19, 2013
Reconstruction Sector Architecture Firms [2013 Giants 300 Report]
Stantec, HOK, HDR top Building Design+Construction's 2013 ranking of the largest reconstruction architecture and architecture/engineering firms in the U.S.
| Jul 19, 2013
Renovation, adaptive reuse stay strong, providing fertile ground for growth [2013 Giants 300 Report]
Increasingly, owners recognize that existing buildings represent a considerable resource in embodied energy, which can often be leveraged for lower front-end costs and a faster turnaround than new construction.
| Jul 19, 2013
Must see: 220 years of development on Capitol Hill in one snazzy 3D flyover video
The Architect of the Capitol this week released a dramatic video timeline of 220 years of building development on Capitol Hill.
| Jul 18, 2013
LEGO takes on the iconic Sydney Opera House
This September, LEGO will expand its LEGO Creator Expert series with a 2,989-brick model of the iconic Sydney Opera House.
| Jul 18, 2013
Koolhaas plan selected for Miami Beach Convention Center redevelopment [slideshow]
The master plan by OMA's Rem Koolhaas and Shohei Shigematsu beat out a submission by Danish studio Bjarke Ingels Group for the massive redo of the Miami Beach Convention Center.
| Jul 15, 2013
Innovative Swallows Nest cultural center in Taiwan aims for zero carbon emission
The Swallows Nest cultural center in Taichung, Taiwan, employs bioclimatic architectural elements and complex geometry with a goal of being a zero carbon emission structure.
| Jul 2, 2013
LEED v4 gets green light, will launch this fall
The U.S. Green Building Council membership has voted to adopt LEED v4, the next update to the world’s premier green building rating system.
| Jul 1, 2013
Report: Global construction market to reach $15 trillion by 2025
A new report released today forecasts the volume of construction output will grow by more than 70% to $15 trillion worldwide by 2025.
| Jun 28, 2013
Building owners cite BIM/VDC as 'most exciting trend' in facilities management, says Mortenson report
A recent survey of more than 60 building owners and facility management professionals by Mortenson Construction shows that BIM/VDC is top of mind among owner professionals.
| Jun 25, 2013
Mirvish, Gehry revise plans for triad of Toronto towers
A trio of mixed-use towers planned for an urban redevelopment project in Toronto has been redesigned by planners David Mirvish and Frank Gehry. The plan was announced last October but has recently been substantially revised.
